The Protection of the Joukriger
by Kimpatsu no Hoseki
Summary: Harry could never have imaged the changes that his 6th year would hold for him. From new allies, secrets hidden and unveiled, to a mate this year will change his views of the Wizarding World and his place in it. HP/OMC slash. Creature!Fic Sub!Harry
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note -

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor do I make any money off of writing this. This is for enjoyment only.

I have rated this as "M" because I expect things to get a little steamy later in the story, so not "M" now but later on. This is SLASH, if you don't like Harry paired with a male character please find another story as that will be a large part of this one.

I am my own beta so there are bound to be some mistakes. If you find any please reference them and let me know what the correction would be so that I can fix it.

"…" = speech

'…' = thought

 _Word_ = Japanese that will be explained in the AN at the end

Enjoy the story!

Harry walked down the empty corridor as dusk. He knew that right about now everyone would be settling down in the great hall for another amazing meal to finish off the third week of classes created by the house elves. However, he just didn't find himself hungry, nor could he force himself to eat if he went. It was still too early in the school year to have overcome the food deprivation he encountered at the Dursley's that summer. Even with a few weeks spent at the Weasley's he just couldn't force himself to eat more than two meals a day. This year wasn't as bad as years when he was younger before coming to Hogwarts; especially with Petunia giving him more than a slice of bread each day in a small show of thanks for saving Dudley from the dementors. But until a few more weeks went by and he got used to eating the rich foods again Harry planned to stick to two meals a day at most.

As Harry drew near the doors leading out onto the castle grounds he saw Headmaster Dumbledore, Professors Snape and McGonagall, and both the Head Boy and Girl, a Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw respectfully this year, opening the doors to welcome someone. Harry paused half way down the stairs trying not to draw attention to himself. After all, Hermione already threatened to tell McGonagall and Pomfrey that he wasn't eating if he skipped any more meals and Harry didn't want to find out if she followed through. Both women could be scary in their own right, but when combined together on a mission they were worse. It would see Harry locked up in the Hospital Wing for a few days at minimum. Something he wanted to avoid very much.

Harry brought his attention back to those below him when he heard multiple feet cross the threshold. In through the doors walked a large group of violet robed wizards with their hoods up surrounding a group of three. Two older, mid-50s looking men with shoulder length wavy black hair stood on either side of the younger man in dark grey and midnight blue robes. The young man looked slightly older than Harry and seemed to be wearing a mix of golden brown and silver robes and had short red hair that was closer to the color of flames than the Weasley's ginger. They were also the only ones to have their hoods down. The younger man spoke briefly and quietly to one of the violet robed men on his right before turning his attention to the professors.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. I hope your travels were good and calm." Dumbledore began as the violet robed wizards spread throughout the hall creating a big circle around everyone in the middle. Harry was concerned that he would be pointed out and told to leave but the one that stopped before the stairs, who he realized was the same one spoken to earlier, seemed to wink at him before turning around to face the middle with a blank look on his face.

"Yes, the trip was fine. May we move past the usual pleasantries to the reason we were called here? It's not often we are called in for a job at a school." The older man on the left said as he looked around the hall, his black eyes briefly landing on Harry, and starting to change to brown, before moving on to look at those gathered before them.

"Of course. We can head to my office. This is our Head Boy and Girl for this year. I thought they could offer a student perspective to our conversation and why you were called in. As well as my Deputy Headmistress and one of our Head of Houses and our resident Potions Master and another Head of House." Dumbledore said gesturing towards the two students who nodded their heads in greeting and Professors McGonagall and Snape.

"Very well."

"Good, good. This way, please follow me." Dumbledore started leading the group towards the stairs opposite of where Harry was standing. The young man in the middle locked eyes with Harry before following after Dumbledore with an enigmatic smile. Harry was startled to realize that the man's eyes, which looked silver from where Harry was standing, had flashed to blue just before they left him. Before the guards all left, after all Harry couldn't think of what else they would be surrounding the three in the middle as they do, the one standing before the stairs Harry was on turned and walked towards him. Eyeing him warily Harry slipped his wand into his hand but refused to back up the stairs; he was a Gryffindor. It would be expected that he would stand his ground and be brave when an unknown guard came towards him.

"Stay calm. I only wish to pass on a message." The guard said coming to a stop a few stairs down from where Harry was standing.

"What's the message?" Harry slowly started to relax at the guard's calm voice.

"Come to this location again in four hours. I will await you by the door." The guard, finishing his message, bowed to Harry and then hurried to catch up to the group who was already making their way down the 2nd floor hall. Harry stared after him confused by the message, why would he come back in four hours? Who would be waiting for him and why? What did it mean that this group was showing up at Hogwarts this year? Were they here to help in the fight against Voldemort? Harry knew he wouldn't gain any answers standing in the stairway so he rushed back to Gryffindor Tower to grab him invisibility cloak and the Marauders Map. Maybe following this group after they met with Dumbledore could provide some answers.

* * *

Just over three hours later saw Harry at the top of the stairs leading to the entry way wondering if this was a good idea. He had been unable to figure anything out during that time since it seemed the group was planning to stay in Dumbledore's office for four hours. With so many names in one small room all Harry could see was black in the office on the map. Now, it was almost time for the meeting asked for in the strange message and Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to go down. Sure he wanted to know what was going on but the way the message was delivered as well as the strange change of eye color, he wasn't sure if he had actually seen something or not, he wasn't positive if he wanted to make the meeting.

Gathering his Gryffindor courage Harry made his way to the door, opened it, and decided to sit on the front steps. After all, the group will need to pass this way as they left and since one of them wanted to talk to him it made perfect sense to wait out there.

Harry drew his attention from the grounds and looked up at the stars. Some clouds were blocking out the moon allowing for more stars to shine through and with no wind the clouds didn't move allowing Harry to enjoy the sky.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting." Harry barely suppressed a shiver at the smooth voice speaking next to him. He hadn't even noticed when someone joined him outside or sat down. "That meeting went on longer than it should have. Your Headmaster likes to talk in riddles, circles, and shadows if you didn't know already."

Harry glanced over to see who was talking and was slightly surprised to find deep ocean blue eyes looking back at him. The longer Harry looked the more certain he felt that he imagined the silver earlier.

"Yes. He's been like that for as long as I've been here." Harry said unable to take his eyes off of the man sitting next to him. "Why…?"

"Hm?"

"I have a few questions but I'm not sure if I should ask them." Harry wasn't sure where this hesitance was coming from. If he was talking to the Headmaster the questions would be tumbling out; but for some reason he was hesitant to voice them now before this captivating person.

"Come, walk with me and ask your questions. I'll answer what I can." The man stood and reached out a hand to help Harry up. After a few moments Harry grabbed the hand and was led down onto Hogwarts' grounds. They started walking around the castle and Harry was so relaxed that he didn't realize that this stranger was still holding his hand.

"Now, what did you want to ask me?" The man prompted glancing at Harry.

"Um, I guess I was mostly wondering who you were. I overheard you when you first entered the castle."

"I know. That's why I sent you the message. If you hadn't been in the area I would have had to search for you. We are here to help where your Ministry cannot or will not."

"Why?"

"For various reasons the Ministry might not be willing or able to do something to help out whereas we are not bound by one country's laws, regulations, or political affiliations."

"But why would you be called here to Hogwarts? The one guy said you aren't often called to schools."

"Most schools are protected by their Ministries and various laws. However, whenever we are called we check out the situation and decide if we should step in."

"But why Hogwarts?"

"Didn't you have other questions?" The man steered them, with a hand on Harry's lower back, around the corner of the castle towards the back garden area next to the greenhouses.

"Oh, um. Yes I did. When I saw you earlier it looked like your eyes were silver, but when you were sitting next to me at the doors they were blue. Do they change colors?"

"What color do they look now?" The man asked turning to face Harry. Stopping their walk behind the greenhouses.

"Viridian." Harry whispered looking up slightly. The man smiled and back Harry up until he was against the outer wall to the castle.

"They do change colors naturally. It's a part of what I am. Can you guess what they mean?"

"I don't have any idea." Harry said softly staring into the eyes above him. The man crowded Harry against the wall a bit more.

"Let me give you a hint for the current color." He said lifting his hands to Harry's face. Before Harry could register what was happening the man was kissing him.

(I debated leaving it here but didn't want to do that to all of you lovely readers)

Harry didn't understand what was happening. His body felt like pulses were traveling through it from where he was connected to the man, down to the ground, and back. The pulses didn't feel bad. In fact they warmed him and he could feel his body relaxing into the kiss and eyes closing the longer it went on. He felt his body relax against the stone behind him, being held up by both the stone and the warm body that was pressed tightly to the front of him.

'Is this what a kiss is supposed to feel like?' He wondered bringing his hands up to grab a hold of the sides of the man's shirt. 'This is nothing like what it felt like to kiss Cho last year.'

Just before Harry believed he would pass out from lack of air a cough broke through the haze.

"Forgive me for interrupting. They will start wondering where he is. Student curfew started 20 minutes ago and we need to go back to our rooms." Harry blinked a few times before looking to his right to see the guard who gave the message earlier standing at the corner with four others. Harry felt a hand caress his cheek and then moving to tangle in his hair slightly caressing his head.

"Very well. Make sure Harry gets back safely. I'm sorry to leave things like this. I will see you in the morning and we can converse more than. Safe dreams _koi_." With one more short kiss the man pulled away and started to walk towards the castle entrance followed by four of the guards. The first guard beckoned Harry closer and Harry realized he really need to figure out their names, he couldn't keep calling them by numbers for much longer.

"Come along Harry, you need to get back to your dorm."

"How do you know my name? Who are you? Who was that man? What did that word mean?" Questions tumbled from his lips like water from a dam that burst as the haze started to lift.

"I shall answer your questions on the way to your dorm." Once more he beckoned Harry closer and started walking. "You were described in detail to us by your Headmaster. He wished for us to be aware of you and a few other students. My name is Minato. That is up to him to tell you, he will be quite embarrassed in the morning to learn he never told you his name. And I'll let him tell you the meaning of that word if you are unable to figure it out on your own." Minato responded while leading Harry up staircases that didn't move even after they got off.

"Why are all of you here? He didn't really say."

"I can't tell you. You shall learn why soon. And here we are, your dorms Harry. Safe dreams."

"Good night." Harry responded in a daze as he entered the portrait. It didn't cross his mind to ask how Minato knew to take him Gryffindor, where the dorms were located, or how The Fat Lady opened without a password. His thoughts were still circling around all that he encountered tonight.

"Harry James Potter! Where have you been? Ron and I have been worried sick. You missed dinner and have been missing since. I was about to go find a Professor!" Harry looked to his left and saw Hermione standing next to the couch by the fire with Ron sitting at the chess set.

"Yah mate, the cloak and map were gone too so we couldn't even search that." Ron added while pulling Hermione to sit down again. "Come sit and tells us what you've been up to."

Harry made his way over to the fireplace couches and debated what he would say. Something within him told him not to mention the guards or the kiss that was still at the top of his mind running on repeat.

"I went for a walk during dinner, grabbed some food from the kitchens, and grabbed my cloak and map to find a spot to quietly think. I wandered for a time and stayed out of trouble. I didn't mean to worry you. When I noticed how late it had become I made my way back." The small lies rolled off his tongue without a pause.

"As long you ate something I guess I can leave it. Don't do it again or send us a letter or something. I was worried." Hermione insisted before turning back to her studying. Ron rolled his eyes before turning back to the chess game he was playing against himself. Harry stared into the fire trying to focus on something other than the kiss but couldn't help but to remember the red of the man's hair that fit him perfectly with his color changing eyes.

After staring into the flames for another 15 minutes Harry stood startling Hermione and Ron.

"I'm going to head up now. I'll see you both tomorrow."

"Night Harry."

"Night mate." Ron immediately went back to his chess game but Hermione looked after Harry slightly in concern. She had noticed how out of it Harry seemed when he came in and how focused he was on the fire. She hoped that everything was fine and that Harry would remember that they would be glad to help him if he needed anything. However, she mostly hoped that this year was quiet for Harry and they could all focus on their studies.

AN:

As a heads up I will be using Japanese words at times in the story and they will be translated here below. I use them not because the people are Japanese but because I wanted them to have their own language and Japanese is my 2nd language. It's much easier than making up new words.

Any Japanese names will not be translated and are chosen from the names of people I know (the characters are not based off of them just the names).

Koi: love (in this instance it is being used as a term of endearment)


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Good morning wonderful readers! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

Disclaimer: Still don't own HP or make any money. Still self-beta'd.

Warning: Slash. Harry/OMC pairing.

Sorry for the confusion with the Japanese. NONE of the new characters are from any fandom. They are all OCs using names of people I know personally or thought of. This is not a crossover with any other fandom. Don't think of the Japanese use as if the characters were speaking Japanese, see it as a new language that only they know. I used it for convenience sake not because they are from Japan. I hope this helps clear up some confusion.

"…." = speaking

'….' = thinking or a message

 _Word_ = Japanese that will be translated below

Will Harry learn more about this group? Will he learn the name of the man who so boldly kissed him? Will he figure out what is going on with his body? Read below to find out.

-Nanananananananananananan-

Chapter 2

Morning saw Harry exiting the common room before most students were up. He wanted to have a chance to enjoy the lake while the others spent their Saturday morning sleeping. With how early it was only the most dedicated Ravenclaws would be up studying in the library and maybe a Quidditch team on the pitch for early morning practice; but most would take this time to make up for lost sleep from over the week of classes.

"Good morning Harry." Harry spun around to find Minato leaning against the wall to the left of the portrait. This time the hood of his violet robe was down showing that he had short brown hair with bangs that stopped just above his brown eyes.

"Morning. Minato, right?"

" _Seikai_."

"Huh?"

"Correct. In a hurry somewhere?"

"I was just going for a walk before too many students wake up. Why?"

"Perfect. Another message was left for you. 'Meet me at the lake.' I'm to take you if you wish to go."

"Alright. That's where I planned to go anyways." Harry started walking down the hall silently enjoying the quiet of the morning. Both walked in silence long enough that Harry could almost pretend to be walking alone. Every now and then he would brush his hand along the wall and window sills as they passed. On each brush Harry could feel a small tingle in his finger tips from the magic of the castle. On the 5th floor Minato waved his hands in a complex motion before tossing a globe of midnight blue light down the hall they were passing.

"What was that?" Harry asked curious to what he did, stopping to watch as the globe seemed to bounce in the air as it moved along.

"I was just sending a note saying I was taking you to the lake. That's all."

"I've never seen anyone do that before. What spell was it?"

"It was not a spell taught in wizarding schools and truthfully not really a spell. The closest spell wizards have to it would be the patronus. You can send spoken messages through that spell. This however, is just a ball of magic. You create it while thinking of a thought. The globe of light passes on what you are trying to convey." Minato gently guided Harry into moving again. They were half way down a set of stairs when Harry spoke up again.

"If there is no spoken message attached, as a receiver, how do you know what the message is?"

"It's like an emotional memory almost. The one I sent will give the receiver the feeling of acceptance."

"But how does it know who to go to or who it is from?"

"Magic of course." Minato shot a grin over at Harry who looked unimpressed. "It carries my magical signature, which made the color of the globe blue, and when forming it you also connect it to who the receiver is. Then, as long as they are in the direction you toss it in they will receive it. It works on magic, knowing where someone is, and understanding emotions. The message was to meet at the lake. If you had said no the orb would convey that information."

"Is that something anyone can learn?"

"It's a rather specialized form of magic that can only be taught by and to a select group." As they stepped out of the entry doors a pale red globe came bouncing after them, circled Minato once, and then floated in the air just before him.

"And here is another." Minato reached out a hand to touch the globe. "Ah, he is sending his thanks for the message. He will join you soon, probably just needs to pick up something."

"You got all of that from a touch?" Minato and Harry continued on to the lake.

"From a touch and the fact I know him well."

"How do you know him?"

"I'm guard. It's my job to know him." Harry smiled to himself at having his idea confirmed.

"Does that mean he's someone super important?"

"In a way." Minato hedged. Once they reached the docks Harry turned to his right and started walking down the bank.

"There are some rocks ahead that are great for sitting and watching the lake from."

"Lead on." Minato smiled while looking out at the water. Not too much further down Harry climbed up onto one of the rocks and sat looking at the lake. Minato stayed on the ground but noticed that the location Harry chose was strategically blocked by trees from the front of the castle, creating a small pocket to hide in for privacy. Minato nodded to himself wondering if Harry chose this location purposefully for this meeting because of last night or if this is where he always goes to for privacy.

Just as Minato went to voice his thoughts out loud he noticed their missing third come down the path towards them. Three guards split off into the trees to watch the far end of the path. With a nod of his head Minato faded into the trees behind Harry's seated position to keep watch over the area to insure their privacy.

"It seems I'm getting into a habit of arriving to our meetings after you already do _koi_." Harry suddenly found himself trapped within a pair of crimson clad arms hugging him from behind.

"And you're the one that calls them." Harry quipped back leaning into the body behind him bringing up a hand to rest on the arms crossed in front of him.

"Indeed I do." Was the response before Harry felt lips against his neck slowly kissing their way up. Harry's breath caught as he went to turn his head to face the man. However, before he could finish turning his lips were caught in another daze inducing kiss like the night before. The kiss broke shortly after but still left Harry dazed, moaning in disappointment, and his body yearning for something more.

"There's a sound I won't mind hearing more of _koi."_ He grinned, eyes flashing green before settling onto a mix of blue with spears of green throughout. "Are you having a good morning so far?"

"Yah," seemed slip unbidden from Harry's lips.

"I hope you haven't eaten yet. I'd thought we could relax and have breakfast out here." The man drew Harry's attention to the basket sitting next to him on the rock. "Hungry?"

"Ah….yes, sure. Food would be fine." Harry shook his head like he was trying to remove cobwebs. He frowned at the bereft feeling that overcame him as the arms moved from around him to set out the food in the basket. Harry caught the man's eyes, this time watching them change from the mix of blue and green to brown in color, and blurted out.

"You've kissed me three times now and have yet to tell me your name." The brown eyes grew wide and suddenly changed to gold.

"I haven't?"

"No." Harry picked up an apple and began to eat.

"I could have sworn I did. No matter. I am Ryosuke."

"Ryosuke." Harry murmured to himself glancing out over the lake again.

"Have you figured out my eyes yet?" Ryosuke asked bringing Harry's attention back to him.

"No I was rather distracted." Harry's cheeks warmed as he looked out over the lake, missing the self-satisfied smile that spread across Ryosuke's face.

"Come now. Don't tell me you don't have any guesses." Ryosuke leaned closer to Harry while munching on a bunch of grapes.

"Um. Blue is normal?"

"Normal?"

"Well, your everyday, original color."

"Not quite," Ryosuke chuckled. "What about another color?"

"I don't know, there are many possibilities. Can't you just tell me?"

"Where would be the fun in that? Think of it like an adventure. Every time you get a color correct you'll get a reward."

"What's the reward?"

"Believe me you won't complain if the time since we met is any indication. Now eat the food I brought for you." Ryosuke smiled brightly and pushed the basket of food closer to Harry.

"When will you tell me why you are here?" This time Harry picked up a breakfast sandwich to munch on.

"Your Headmaster is planning to announce us at dinner. Any other questions this morning?"

"Last night you said that the changing color was a part of what you are. Does that mean you aren't human?"

"I'm surprised you remember. Yes, we are not human."

"What are you then?"

"We are a humanoid creature called Joukriger and the only easy way to tell us from humans is our eyes."

"Are there any other differences?" Harry asked feeling a bit exasperated.

"Of course. However, a deeper discussion I think is better kept for another time. If you learn everything now you might disappear on me."

"I wouldn't. I'm too drawn to you." Harry slammed a hand over his mouth at that, looking wide-eyed at Ryosuke. Ryosuke chuckled loudly and snaked an arm around Harry's back.

"Drawn to me are you? It is just me or all of us?" Blue eyes stared back from a grinning face. Harry's face flushed before his eyes narrowed.

"Are you making fun of me? Is that why won't you give me a straight answer?"

"That would be because I'm not straight." Ryosuke got out before Harry pushed him away and scrambled off of the rock.

"Fine. If you won't give a straight answer I'll go to someone else." He called back as he stomped back to the castle. Ryosuke blinked after him in shock before turning golden eyes to his left to find brown staring up at him.

"That was not a wise move _kouteishi_." Minato glanced in the direction Harry ran. "I would suggest leaving your _sukidoushi_ to calm down for a few hours before approaching him again." Ryosuke glowered up at the castle as if it was the building's fault that Harry had run off.

"I hate the rule saying I cannot tell him until he loves me. I know it is to make it easier on the humans but shouldn't they be happy to be mated?"

"Talk to your uncles about this _kouteishi_ that is why they came. Not only to oversee the protection as our generals but to help you through this. Both found their _sukidoushi_ in humans and not other Joukriger, like you. They can help you."

"Fine. I shall leave Harry alone until he approaches me again."

"I'm sure by the time dinner is over tonight he will seek you out. Human mates are drawn to us as you heard him confess. Their magic tells them they are not complete and so will compel them to stay with their Joukriger half until they are mated. He will always come to you."

"I know but after what little the Headmaster revealed to us last night I am tempted to take him away from this place and keep him from all of this. It's why I've been pushier than I would normally be. I want to claim him and take him from all of this. I'm just very relieved that I found him so quickly or I would have spent all of last night looking." After one last look in the direction Harry disappeared to Ryosuke packed up the basket and headed back into the castle followed by Minato and the three other guards that appeared through the trees where they had kept silent watch.

-Nananananananananananan-

AN:

Anyone want to take a stab at what the eye colors mean? You've seen most of them now.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and/or is following this story. I'm really glad that there is interest in this and I hope I can keep you interested as I continue on.

If there are any mistakes that you notice please let me know in a review. I can't always catch them as I beta my own work.

About the naming of the creature type: it is made up of 2 different languages.

"Jou" is Japanese (情) for emotion, feeling, circumstance, passion, empathy, or facts depending on how it is used. Pronounced like "Joe".

"Kriger" is Danish for warrior. Not sure the exact pronunciation for this.

Together I am using them to mean "Circumstance Warrior"

Koi – (恋) love

Seikai – (正解) correct

Kouteishi – (皇太子) crown prince

Sukidoushi – (好き同士) soul mate


	3. Chapter 3

AN:

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything but the OCs.

Warning: Slash Harry/OMC fic. If that's not your cup of tea, feel free to leave.

"…" speaking

'….' Thinking or quote

 _Word_ = translated below

-Nanananananananaanannaanana-

Chapter 3

Harry glanced around the common room to see if Hermione was up yet and found her sitting in a back nook surrounded by books.

"Hermione, have you heard of 'Joukriger' before?"

"What?" Hermione looked up from her books. "Good morning Harry."

"Joukriger. Have you heard that word before?" Harry sat down at her table.

"No I don't think so. How do you know it?"

"Some 7th year Ravenclaws were talking about 'the Joukriger' being in Hogwarts outside of the Great Hall on my way back up just now." Harry shrugged as he glanced over the books on the table recognizing a few as their current school books. 'The others must be library books.'

"I didn't see you in the Great Hall eating earlier." Hermione mused looking shrewdly at Harry. "In any case it sounds like the name of an objected or person. I'm sure it is anything important Dumbledore will make an announcement or warn us away from something, like in the past." 'And if it is something we are warned away from I hope this year you don't get caught up in it.'

Loud thumps drew their attention to the boy's stairway. "Really Ronald. Must you make so much noise in the morning? You'll wake the 2nd years. They had their first mid-night astronomy class last night so be a bit more quite won't you." Hermione huffed.

"Knock it off Hermione, it's too early for your lectures. Who's hungry?"

"Sorry mate, Hermione and I have already eaten. Although I passed Neville on the stairs, he was making his way to the Great Hall and should still be there." Ron waved to them as he stumbled his way out of the common room for breakfast. "I think I'll go flying for a bit before coming back to start on homework. Hermione, I'll see you for lunch."

"Alright Harry. As long as I do see you for lunch and you don't leave your homework until the last minute. You know we have that report due for Professor Snape on Monday and the one for Professor Flitwick on Tuesday, and Potion reports aren't your strongest."

"I know. I know." After a quick detour to his dorm to pick up his broom Harry hurried down to the Quidditch pitch. A couple hours of flying should help clear his head of Ryosuke, the Joukriger, and the strange feelings that Ryosuke creates within him. 'If nothing else, I could always use this time to practice with the snitch' Harry thought grinning to himself.

* * *

Hours later it was almost dinner time and Harry was finishing his current essay with a feeling of accomplishment. At Hermione's insistence Harry finished not only his two reports for Snape and Flitwick but also his short essay assignments for Transfiguration, History of Magic, Care of Magical Creatures, and now Defense. This left him only Herbology, due Tuesday afternoon, to worry about.

"See Harry. When you just sit down and work, you get your homework done much quicker, leaving you time to do as you like tomorrow before classes. Let's head down for dinner and do our last assignment afterwards." Hermione packed away all of her books to take back to her dorm when Harry nodded doing the same.

Ron and Neville joined them from in front of the fire where Ron won another chess game. The four friends talked about a variety of subjects on the way to the Great Hall. Ron would change the subject from school, when he could, to talk about chess or Quidditch. Neville was happy to talk about school, or more specifically the newest plants he was working on with Professor Sprout for an extra credit project. For Hermione, anything other than chess or Quidditch were acceptable topics. Harry was just happy his friends were still talking to him after the fiasco at the Ministry at the end of last year.

'Good thing Remus is quick with a spell and could pull Sirius out of the path of Bellatrix's spell before anything bad could happen. And thankfully no one on our side really got hurt with how quickly the Order showed up followed by the Aurors.' Harry thought with a smile looking over his friends.

"What are you smiling about Harry? Is Neville failing to beat Ron at chess for the 100th time really that funny?"

"I was thinking of the end of last year and how happy I am that no one really got hurt."

"Don't forget that with many Aurors there to witness the fight many Death Easters were caught and questioned with Veritaserum. You-Know-Who's side must be hurting." Ron brought up.

"Also the Prophet had to write that retraction for all of the articles they had written about you and Headmaster Dumbledore." Neville pointed out as they entered the Great Hall. All of them stopped just inside the doors to stare around the hall.

There were people in violet robes standing every few feet on the sides of the hall, one at each end of all of the tables, and three seated at the head table. Harry recognized Ryosuke as the one seated in the middle up at the head table and glanced quickly around the hall to see if he could spot Minato. A tap on his shoulder had him spinning around.

"Looking for something?" The other three students turned at the voice to look behind them.

"No." Harry glanced at his friends quickly. Minato hummed quietly, also sparing a glance at those with Harry before focusing his attention again.

"Then I would suggest you sit for dinner. It is starting soon and it would not be good for students to miss meals." He said pointedly staring into Harry's eyes. 'Please tell me Minato's not going to start with that too. I don't need a second Hermione.' Thought Harry as he looked into Minato's brown eyes. With a nod Harry and his friends wandered over to their table and sat up close to the head table, not by Harry's choice.

"Who do you suppose they are?" Ron asked nodding his head at the closest robe wearing person.

"I don't know, but I bet Headmaster Dumbledore will make an announcement tonight about them. Do you suppose they are new members of the order sent to guard the school?" Hermione mused.

"I just hope that the announcement is after dinner. I'm starving!" Ron complained.

"Well I think the new face sitting in the middle up at the teacher's table is the best looking. Someone like that would be great to hook up with. " Ginny added to their conversation as she sat down next to Ron.

"Ginny! Are you trying to get yourself in trouble? Maybe I should contact Mom and let her know you're going after older men. See how long you have those thoughts then."

"Relax Ron. A woman can appreciate a fine specimen without their mother's consent. It's called window shopping. Really. It's not like you boys don't do the same with the girls around here. No need to get overly protective or reactionary. Or should I also write Mom about some of the things I've overheard you say about the French students when they were here two years ago?" Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Everyone was that way! You can't blame me for it."

"Not everyone Ron."

"Right, every guy was." Ron crossed his arms, glaring at Ginny.

"I wasn't." Harry interrupted.

"That's because you're gay Harry. None of the gay guys were swept up in the allure." Ginny rolled her eyes again.

"What?!" exclaimed both Ron and Harry at the same time.

"Oh please. There's no point in trying to deny it. Harry's gay and has been for quite a while. I'm surprised that you went on that date with Cho Change last year and even kiss her." Ginny said in exasperation while Hermione and Neville nodded along.

"Did you even notice Ron? I mean Harry, Dean, and Seamus, as well as a few from other Houses, never reacted to the Veela. We all knew that Dean and Seamus were together. It didn't take much to conclude why Harry didn't. Sorry mate, but you and I are the only straight ones in our dorm room." Neville shrugged. Harry gapped at Neville while Ron spluttered for a few moments.

"Say it isn't so!" Ron bemoaned.

"The worst part of all of this is that Harry isn't even stereotypically gay. I can't go to him for advice." Ginny stated reaching across the table to pat Harry's hand.

"Advice?" Harry looked to Hermione for help.

"Clothes, looks, hot guys. You know, advice." Ginny said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, taking her hand back and picking up a dinner roll that just appeared before them.

"Can we change the subject? I don't want to think about my best mate giving my little sister advice." Ron beseeched as he started piling his plate full of food. "Also, I'm so glad any announcements are waiting until we finish eating." Harry looked around at his group of friends bewildered as they started eating. He wasn't gay, was he? Sure the kiss and date with Cho weren't that great, and the Veela did nothing for him, while the thought of Ryosuke and his kiss sent tingles and flashes of warmth through his body. But that didn't mean he was gay did it?

"Don't think about it too much Harry. This doesn't change anything between all of us." Hermione whispered leaning close to Harry. "Now eat something. You don't want me to get Professor McGonagall or Madame Pomfrey do you?" Harry sighed and began eating hoping that this day would hurry up and end so that he can pretend it didn't happen.

Dumbledore stood as the last of the desserts faded from the tables. With a raise of his hands the hall grew silent and the candles brightened.

"Good evening students. I have a very important announcement so I hope that all of you pay attention. You will have noticed, no doubt, the extra bodies that joined us tonight. They are Joukriger and are here to provide further protection for everyone within these walls. As some of you may know Joukriger are not a part of any Ministry, political party, or country. They are completely independent and do not fall under the same laws as we do. They are not here to declare a side in our fight but to insure that no harm will come to any within Hogwarts from ANY side of the current conflict.

"They will be wandering around the castle and grounds. Sometimes they will be in the back of your classrooms watching. You are welcome to interact and befriend them. Be aware however, many of them here are mated and Joukriger are heavily protective of their mates and each other. It would be in your best interest to not get on their bad side, because there is nothing anyone can do legally to help you if you attack them and theirs." Dumbledore glanced around the hall to make sure the students took him seriously. "While they are here they have the ability to assign detentions as well as take away points, but not add points. These cannot be reversed by Professors or Prefects, so please don't waste anyone's time by trying.

"Anything to add?" Dumbledore turned to Ryosuke as he stood up.

"Thank you Headmaster Dumbledore for that introduction. I just want to mention a few things. My name is Ryosuke and on either side of me are Generals Suzaku and Suzaka. Those stationed around the hall are members of our guards. As Headmaster Dumbledore stated we do have mated members here with us and some are in the process. I will warn you this once: DO NOT interfere with a mateship." Ryosuke started off looking at Harry before moving his gaze to everyone else in the hall.

"We are all warriors and are here to protect each and every one of you from troubles that can find you here as the adults in this world fight. If any conflict were to make its way to this school, all of you will be protected equally. We do not care what House you are in, your wealth, or blood status. All of you will be protected from any harm while we are here. If you feel concerned about a protection issue, you can approach any of the Joukriger for help. If we see conflict happen within the school we will stop it. We will listen to all sides of the issue before issuing our judgement. Remember we are here to protect you, not to pick sides." Ryosuke glanced at Harry again before sitting back down.

"Thank you everyone for providing your full attention tonight." Dumbledore sat back down and students started to filter out of the hall in groups whispering to each other about the announcement.

"How fascinating." Hermione stated glancing at the closest violet robed guard. Harry was startled to notice that it was in fact Minato she was looking at. "I wonder if I can ask them questions now?" However before she could get up to start asking questions Minato moved towards the teacher's table.

"Come on, Hermione, they'll be here all year. You can bombard them with questions later. In fact tomorrow is Sunday, you can have all day to question them and research them in the Library." Ron stated trying to herd Hermione towards the doors and back to the tower.

"I wonder who that Ryosuke fellow is in the process of mating with." Harry's head whipped around to stare at Ginny.

"What are you talking about Ginny?" Neville asked peering around Harry as he stood up.

"Well the way he worded everything and glanced around the hall when talking about mateships. Makes it seem like he is currently unmated but in the process. Do you think it is someone here at the school?" Ginny glanced back at Neville.

"Hey guys, I'll catch up later. I wanted to go ask Headmaster Dumbledore something real quick about Padfoot. It shouldn't take too long so I'll see you back at the tower." Harry called out staying behind as the group made its way out of the hall. With one last wave to the group Harry took a deep breath.

"Waiting for someone _koi_?" Ryosuke breathed into Harry's ear.

"Ryosuke!"

"Harry."

"I wanted to talk to Headmaster Dumbledore." Ryosuke pouted at hearing that.

"Not me? I'm sure we would have a lot more fun." Ryosuke's eyes flashed between green and blue as Harry started blushing.

"I'm sure that is possibly true, but I still need to talk to him." Ryosuke's eyes changed to brown as he considered Harry and what he might want to discuss with his headmaster.

"When you have time then, after your talk, feel free to stop by our quarters on the 5th floor behind the painting of Merwyn the Malicious. Knock on the frame and you'll be let in." A quick scan of the room showed Ryosuke that besides the Joukriger and Headmaster Dumbledore no one else was in the hall. Ryosuke snuck an arm around Harry's waist. "I really hope you'll come by tonight."

Ryosuke pulled Harry closer, tilted his chin up, and gave Harry three kisses, each longer than the last. As he released Harry he was happy to note that by the second kiss he felt Harry start to respond and by the third he felt full participation.

"Now go catch up to your headmaster and don't forget to stop by when you're done." Ryosuke turned Harry around before giving him a small push in the direction of the head table where Dumbledore sat waiting and watching them.

-Nnanananananananananananana-

AN: We have now learned why they are here! Yay!

So the painting that the Joukriger are staying behind is an actual wizard. I got his chocolate card from . He's the first one to come to mind when I tried to think of a famous wizard.

For those who guessed. Yes the eyes are like mood rings. However the colors don't necessarily match those on mood rings. Please take a guess at what each color means. I will be revealing the answers in the upcoming chapters, slowly! However if more than 2 people get a color right then I shall mention it in an AN if not in the chapter directly.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far and all of the "following" and "favorites" messages I have received. They are definitely a confidence booster. Also, I must say that some of the screen names I have seen are fantastic.

Once again, if you notice any mistakes please let me know in a review what the mistake was and the correction. I'd like to be able to fix and improve on anything wrong. I've gotten some feedback already for the first 2 chapters that I will go back and fix later for future readers. This is self-beta'd so, as I am only human, I'm sure I have missed something in every chapter.

 _Koi_ = love, being used as a term of endearment


	4. Chapter 4

AN:

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

Warnings: Slash. Things are going to get a bit steamier between the two (a treat for everyone who has reviewed, favorited, or followed this story.). Also some slight non-PG language. Not enough to scandalize anyone.

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ is translated below.

-Nananananananananananana-

Chapter 4

Harry made his way to the 5th floor after his less than helpful meeting with Headmaster Dumbledore.

'It's not like I was asking for a lot of extra information about the Joukriger. I don't understand why Dumbledore refused to provide any substantial answers. At least he confirmed that, besides myself, he has them watching a few other students closely. I wonder who the other students are and why they will be watched. It's obvious that they're here to help against Voldemort by protecting me and the students. I wonder why he didn't just say that.' Harry mused as he approached the portrait of Merwyn the Malicious. 'I can't believe that the others didn't question me asking Dumbledore about Sirius. They all know I can owl him at any time.' Glancing around Harry didn't see anyone standing outside.

"Guess I'll have to knock." Harry knocked quickly on the side of the picture frame. Moments later the portrait was opened from the inside.

"Ah, Harry, we were wondering when you would stop by. Come in. I'll take you to Ryosuke's section." Minato opened the portrait wider to allow Harry entrance. Once he passed through the opening Harry had to stop in surprise. It looked like he entered a House's common room with how large the space was. In the far left corner he could see a large fireplace with couches and chairs scattered around. The rest of the left side was taken up by bookcases and tables. On the right wall were maps with colored spaces, lines, and dots all over. Upon a second glance it looked like the maps were showing the different floors of Hogwarts and various locations across the grounds, including Hogsmeade. On the back wall were a series of doors. Everything was done in shades of brown, giving the room an earthy and neutral look. Joukriger were spread throughout the room doing various things and none seemed to pay attention as Minato led Harry to the 2nd door from the right. Once he reached the door Minato gave a sequence of knocks before opening the door.

"Go right on in, Harry."

"Thank you." With one last glance around the front area Harry went through the door.

"Hello?" Harry called out as the door was shut behind him.

"Harry, _koi_ , I'm glad you came. Make yourself comfortable and I shall be with you in a moment I just need to change. Formal robes can be so stuffy at times." Ryosuke called out from what Harry assumed was a walk-in closet.

As Harry made his way further into the room he took in all of the décor. On the far right was a king sized black four poster bed with dark teal curtains and sheets. On either side of the bed were black end tables. To the right of the bed was the walk-in closet. Across from the bed was a large stone fireplace with a teal circular sofa with black chaise lounge sofas on either side, all facing the fire place. Just left of the fireplace was another door that Harry guessed lead to a bathroom. On the wall opposite the door Harry entered through he noticed two windows and a door leading out onto a balcony. Harry made his way to the fire place, took off his school robes, and sat in the middle of the round sofa. He relaxed back against the cushions and stared into the fire after another glance around the room. The comfort of the sofa and the herbal smell drifting from the fire moved Harry into a relaxed state.

He was so relaxed that he didn't register Ryosuke settling down next to him until he felt fingers running through his hair. With a moan Harry looked to his left at Ryosuke with lust blown eyes.

"It seems that our herbs have an interesting effect on you." Ryosuke mused in greeting before tilting Harry's face slightly for a kiss. The kiss started off like all the kisses Harry had already received but it wasn't too long until he felt a tongue swipe across his bottom lip. At Harry's gasp Ryosuke snaked his tongue inside and started to map out Harry's mouth; relishing in the moans Harry was releasing. It didn't take much for Harry's tongue to tentatively respond to Ryosuke's. Ryosuke slowly started to lead Harry's tongue into a dance back and forth between their mouths.

As the kiss continued Harry shifted to get closer to Ryosuke and wrapped his arms around Ryosuke's neck. With one hand still in Harry's hair Ryosuke dropped the other to be wrapped around Harry's lower back, pulling him even closer. Ryosuke's left hand eventually left Harry's hair, dropped to his waist, and suddenly Harry found himself straddling Ryosuke's lap.

Pulling back with a gasp at the new position Harry tried to catch his breath before surging forward to kiss Ryosuke again. Now that Harry was actively and passionately participating in the kiss Ryosuke shifted down the sofa to be more reclined and moved his hands down to Harry's hips to urge Harry even closer until they were flushed top to bottom.

Another moan passed from Harry to Ryosuke as Harry started to explore the chest before him. It didn't take long for Harry's brain to process the fact that there was no shirt impeding his exploration. Harry moaned into the kiss as he started to move his hands across Ryosuke's chest, being sure to make multiple passes across his pectorals.

" _Kami._ " Ryosuke moaned out loud as Harry started sucking at his neck moving down towards his chest. Not to be outdone by the younger male Ryosuke worked hard to create a hicky just under Harry's chin. With a small squeeze to Harry's hips Ryosuke shifted his hands down to his ass and ground their hips together starting a rhythm that sent pleasure spiking through their bodies at each contact.

Ryosuke guided Harry's face back up and thrust his tongue back into Harry's mouth while one hand snuck its way into Harry's pants to get a better grip on his ass. The new hand placement made it even easier for Ryosuke to position Harry just right so that when their fronts joined Harry's erection was pressed directly against his own.

"Ryosuke! I hear your _sukidoshi_ stopped by for a visit and we want to officially meet him." Ryosuke's doors banged open as his uncles came in the room. Ryosuke fully intended to ignore them with Harry on his lap but it seemed his uncles had a different idea.

"No more of that. You are old enough to hold back and he cannot possibly be informed enough or ready for that." Next thing Harry knew was that he was fly off of Ryosuke to land on one of the lounges, the fire had been put out, windows open, and a body was dropping onto the couch next to him.

"Why are you burning chamomile, cherry, mint, and…. Damiana and dogbane?" Suzaka asked plopping down next to Ryosuke. "You don't usually burn damiana and dogbane."

"I thought I'd try something new." Ryosuke stated looking into his now doused fire frustrated that his uncles had burst in when things were starting to feel amazing. He shifted and worked to will his erection away. Ryosuke was almost positive that if his uncles hadn't come in he could have at least brought Harry to completion before having to address any questions he brought with him. After all, each time he got together with Harry he seemed to be full of questions and the only way to stop him had been through kissing so far.

"And I guess you now know why we don't burn it with our _sukidoshi_ in the room. As human wizards, it affects them differently than us. You should already know all of this as _kouteishi_. It should have been covered in your lessons before you came of age." Suzaku stated unimpressed as he watched Harry's eyes became clearer and clearer as the smoke from the herbs cleared the room. "How are you feeling Harry?"

"Wha…?"

"It's still affecting him. Ryosuke, go get a glass of water for Harry. And put some proper clothes on! Lounge pants are not acceptable attire for greeting your _sukidoshi_." Suzaka pushed Ryosuke up from the sofa. Ryosuke returned to the room with water and dressed in black slacks with a grey button-up shirt on as Minato entered the room.

"You called for me?" Minato glanced around to everyone's placements.

"Yes. It seems that Ryosuke will need a chaperone nearby when he is around Harry. As you have already been tasked with his protection you will be acting as chaperone when Suzaka or I cannot be present." Suzaku glanced at Harry again to see that his eyes were almost back to normal. "Drink the water slowly. It will help clear your body of the effects of the herbs." Suzaku made sure Harry had a firm hand on the glass before moving his attention back to his nephew.

"You've met him and assigned me a chaperone I don't need, so you can go now. Harry and I were going to talk." Ryosuke folded his arms looking from one uncle to the other.

"Don't be like that. Once Harry is better we'll all talk. Minato, stop hovering and sit down." Suzaka pulled Ryosuke to sit by him again. Minato made his way to the other chaise lounge hiding a smirk from Ryosuke. He told him it was a bad idea to burn the herbs this evening in order to keep Harry from asking tough questions.

"Oh Merlin!" Harry squeaked looking wide-eyed around the room starting to blush as he started to remember what he was just doing. "When did all of you get here? Please tell me I fell somewhere, that was all just a dream, and I'm waking up right now."

"Afraid not Harry. It seems some of our more common herbs affect you rather strongly compared to most." Minato explained as everyone watched Harry turn as red as Ryosuke's hair.

"Don't worry Ryosuke won't be using that combination again any time soon. I'm Suzaku, one of Ryosuke's uncles. Sitting next to Ryosuke is Suzaka, my twin." Harry looked back and forth trying to find a way to tell them apart.

"You're like Fred and George."

"Who?"

"Fred and George Weasley. They are identical twins too and no one can tell them apart, except for me."

"How do you tell them apart?"

"Their magic is different."

"You can sense magical signatures?" Suzaku leaned closer at this.

"Kind of. Only when I'm around someone for a long time or if the thing is heavily saturated. Is it really that unusual?" Harry looked around in confusion.

"Among wizards it is. Not rare, but not common among Joukriger. How strong is your sensing? Have you had any training?" Suzaka shuffled closer to the edge of the sofa.

"I'm not sure I follow."

"He means what happens when you sense magic. Visuals, sounds, feelings?" Minato supplied at Harry's confusion.

"I can just feel it. Fred and George feel different from each other and their other family members. When I touch the castle walls I sometimes feel tingles. Sometimes when I touch paintings in the castle it tingles as well." Harry shrugged. "Not particularly useful or anything. No one's trained me. I didn't realize it is something you could train. Although it is great fun because no one has been able to figure out how I can always tell which twin is which. I'm sure given time I'll be able to tell the both of you apart as well." Harry grinned while looking back and forth between Suzaka and Suzaku.

'I wonder….' Minato grew Harry's attention to himself. "Harry, can I try something?"

"Ah, sure." Harry shrugged. Minato threw a quick look at Ryosuke, Suzaka, and Suzaku. Waving his hands he created a message globe that he tossed towards Harry.

"Take the message."

"Um… how?" Harry watched as the globe bounced around him before stopping at chest height.

"Just touch it with your fingers." Minato smiled at him. "I just want to see what happens. Nothing bad will happen if it doesn't work." Assured, Harry reached out and touched the globe. The moment his fingers connected he was filled with anticipation. It felt like something amazing was coming for him. Like the snitch was centimeters before his fingers and all he had to do was stretch forward just a little to win the game and the House Cup. The same feeling he had when the broom jumped into his hand the very first time during Flying Lessons back in 1st Year. The first time he woke to presents on Christmas day and the moments before his first corporeal patronus came from his wand. The feeling of anticipation for something good completely filled him up within a second and didn't dissipate until he pulled his fingers away. As Harry looked away from the fading globe he noticed that all of the eyes in the room were caught between blue and gold.

"You got the message." Minato's excited voice shook him from his stupor.

"Yes. That was amazing!" Harry grinned across to him.

"You are so talented _koi_! To be able to receive that!" Next thing Harry knew was that he was being lifted, twirled around, and then kissed. He threw his arms are Ryosuke in order to not fall over after spinning.

" _Shinjiranai_. I have never seen a human receive a message globe on their first try. Do you think it is because of his sensing ability?" Suzaku said looking at Harry in wonder.

"Your eyes. Blue is happy isn't it?" Harry murmured looking into Ryosuke's.

"I knew you would figure one of them out. Yes, our eyes go blue when we are excited or happy." Ryosuke kissed Harry one more time before letting him go. Before anything else could happen the clock sitting above the fireplace rang out.

"Curfew has started. Harry, you will need to get back to your dorm now. The rest of this conversation can happen another time." Minato stood and moved closer to remove Harry from Ryosuke's arms.

"But there wasn't much of a conversation. I feel like I haven't been here all that long." Harry looked around to the clock, shocked to see that he had been there for almost two hours already and curfew was starting. "If I get caught in the halls now I'll get points docked!"

"Minato will take you back. That way he can provide an excuse if need be. You won't have points docked tonight." Suzaka said nodding at Minato who started herding Harry from the room while Suzaku sent signals that had Ryosuke staying put. "We shall see you around Harry and I hope you will converse more with us in the coming days. We'll see if we can't get that ability of yours trained."

-Nananananananananananana-

AN:

Haha. I'm so awful cock-blocking Ryosuke and Harry. And if you didn't catch it Harry wasn't fully functioning when that all started, he was being influenced mostly by herbs (find their meanings below). I don't really know anything about herbs and their uses or what the combination would smell like but information is provided by a Wiccan website I found on google.

FYI I'm going to have Hogwarts have a curfew. This when everyone is to be in their House common rooms, with a few exceptions (for example Astronomy classes).

I had a good question pop-up in a review that I don't have a solid answer for yet so I will put it to vote: Will Dumbledore be good and supportive of Harry/Ryosuke or not?

As always reviews, followings, and favorites are appreciated and helpful to me. During the next chapter or the one after we'll start skipping forward in the school year a bit.

Herbs usage: .

Chamomile – creates a peaceful atmosphere and helps with centering

Cherry – love, direction, magickal potency, money, lust

Damiana – lust, love, visions

Dogbane – can be added to love mixtures to increase their potency

Mint – money, lust, healing, travel, exorcism, protection

 **One eye color has been revealed!** Blue eyes = excitement/happiness. Can you guess the other colors? All but one color has been mentioned so far in these first chapters. The last one won't come for a bit unless the plot bunnies change something.

Bed style (please replace these colors with the ones I said): .

Chaise lounge style: .

Middle chair: .

 _Koi_ = (恋) love

 _Sukidoshi_ = (好き土子) soul mate

 _Kouteishi_ = (皇太子) crown prince

 _Shinjiranai_ = (信じらない) I don't/can't believe it.

 _Kami_ = (神) god


	5. Chapter 5

AN:

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

I had a review that had a very good point about how fast Ryosuke is going. It won't be addressed in this chapter because of the flow of the story right now, but will in the next. Thank you for asking the question NekoAngel13I hope my explanation next chapter helps.

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ is translated below.

-Nananaananananananananana-

Sunday morning Harry woke later than he expected to. Hoping he could still get a head start he rushed through his shower and hurried into the common room.

"Morning Harry."

"Morning mate." Ron and Hermione called out from the couches. Harry winced at hearing their voices, his getaway plan now foiled.

"Morning. Where are Neville and Ginny?"

"They are saving us spots for breakfast. Ron was getting ready to wake you up if you didn't come down in the next five minutes." Hermione gathered up her belongings and rolls of parchment.

"What's all that for?"

"Well, Harry, I was thinking we could find one of those Joukriger after breakfast and ask them questions or head to the Library to do more research if one isn't around."

"Oh."

"Don't worry mate. With all of us there it shouldn't be that boring." Ron joked nudging Harry with his elbow.

"Ronald! Really, this is a new magical species to learn about and you aren't the least bit curious?" Hermione huffed as the boys chuckled at her enthusiasm.

"No need to rush off to them now Hermione, Dumbledore said they would be here all year."

"Headmaster Dumbledore, Harry. I don't know why you and Ron seem incapable of using honorifics with the professors."

"Relax Hermione. It's Sunday, school has barely started, we are done with our homework, so relax! Let's enjoy this day, not stay inside researching." Harry pleaded as Hermione put the last of her things into her bag.

"Yah Hermione. You can ambush them later. Let's go skip rocks or something at the lake. But, you know, after breakfast." Ron rushed Hermione and Harry the rest of the way to the great hall.

Sure enough after eating breakfast all of them made their way to the lake. Unknown to all but Harry, they were followed by Minato. Harry figured it out early in their trek when he saw Minato slip out of the castle after them before disappearing. 'The ability to disappear must be another one of their abilities or he has an invisibility cloak like mine.' Harry thought as everyone settled down. 'Was it only Minato to follow us out or were there more?'

"When did you have time to get all of that Hermione?" Harry was drawn out of his thoughts by Ron loud exclamation.

"This morning while you were all sitting down to eat. I snuck to the library and picked these up before joining you. You didn't even notice I had left." Hermione responded as she opened the first of three books she had set next to her before leaning into a tree. "I want to learn more about those that have joined us this year, and seeing how none of you will allow me to go ask one, I shall look them up." With that Hermione flipped to the index to start her search. Ginny rolled her eyes as she pulled out a deck of exploding snap cards.

"Leave her to her research. At least she is sitting out here with us. Now let's play some cards before we get roped into opening one of those books." Ginny dealt out the cards.

"Ginny, there's only four of us. What's with the fifth?" Neville asked.

"Luna is joining us. She should be here momentarily." As the last card was passed out Luna did indeed show up.

Partway through the fourth game Harry noticed that Hermione started sending him contemplative looks. Harry was able to ignore them for a few minutes before giving up; however before he could confront her on the looks he noticed Minato, Ryosuke, and a few others coming towards them.

"Minato, Ryosuke why are you here?" Harry looked between them with a small blush ignoring the fact that Ryosuke settled himself behind his left shoulder while Minato leaned against the rock behind Ron.

"Why wouldn't we come join you and your friends _koi_?" Ryosuke brushed a hand across Harry's back before resting it between his shoulder blades.

"How do you know their names Harry?" Hermione narrowed her eyes at Harry having caught his blush before glancing around at the newly enlarged group noticing that each student had a Joukriger near them.

"Don't you remember, Hermione, Dumbledore announced them last night." Ron shrugged before placing a card down. Harry did notice that his wand had magically appeared on his lap within easy reach if needed, as did those of his other friends besides Luna who was happily humming under her breath.

"Headmaster Dumbledore mentioned Ryosuke but no one else. Harry doesn't have the best track record for new names either, unless this isn't his second time meeting them." Hermione closed her current book with a bookmark and calmly looked at Harry. "So again, Harry, how do you know their names?" Harry winced while he felt Ryosuke chuckle behind him. Ryosuke reached around, withdrew a card, and placed it down before Harry even noticed what he was doing.

"Yes _koi_ , how do you know our names? Care to share with your friends?" Harry caught Minato smirking across the way as all of the Joukriger eyes he would see changed to blue.

"I've ran into Ryosuke and Minato, the one next to Ron." Harry discretely elbowed Ryosuke trying to get him to stop leaning so heavily on him.

"When Harry and why not tell us?" Hermione's calm questions just served to make Harry more nervous. He knew he should have mentioned it before.

"It's obvious that the nargles from earlier this year at the end of last school year are still affecting Harry. Maybe the Joukriger can help him get rid of them once and for all. It's not good to have nargles stick around for a long time. They tend to make things difficult." Luna serenely stated as she held her hand out to the Joukriger sitting next to her. "You are free of nargles. Which is the best option?" The Joukriger smiled, as if he was an older brother indulging a younger sibling, as he choose a card to place. The card game went a few more rounds while Hermione carefully watched the interactions between Harry and Ryosuke. Every now and then she glanced back down to the book she was currently reading.

"You know, you are allowed to ask us questions." Hermione looked to her right at the Joukriger who addressed her. "We can all see that you have them."

"Are you here strictly for the student's protection?" Hermione asked. The pace of the game slowed down as the students paid more attention to what answers might come.

"Yes, among other things."

"And those other things involve Harry?" Harry looked over catching Hermione's eye.

"Yes and no."

"That is not really an answer." Ron pointed out narrowing his eyes at Minato who had responded.

"It was not known that the other things included Harry until we arrived and met him." Ryosuke calmly stated as he once again played for Harry before shifting behind him fully. Ryosuke moved both hands to Harry's shoulders and started to massage them. "If you don't relax _koi_ you'll gain a headache."

"Then would I be correct in guessing that Harry is this?" Hermione showed a word to the Joukriger next to her from the book she had been holding.

" _Sukidoushi_. Yes, Harry is that." The Joukriger responded looking over at Ryosuke.

"Then is the rest of this passage true as well?"

"Yes. That is a very good find. Where did you pick it up?"

"The Library. Could I say? Or does that interfere?"

"Indirectly only or it would." Ryosuke stated starting to look like Christmas came early. He dropped his arms around Harry, pulling him closer. The card game had stopped by this point while the others tried to figure out what Hermione was alluding to. Ginny was the first to catch on visibly.

"You mean that part is true?! And that Harry is…?"

"Yes, Ginny, that is what they are saying." Ron looked confused between a smug looking Hermione and Ginny before looking over to Harry who was blushing and trying to remove Ryosuke's hands from his waist.

"That Harry is what?" Neville looked on in confusion while Luna started humming a soft tune.

"Yes, that I'm what?" Harry gave up trying to move Ryosuke who just gave him a short squeeze in response.

"You're _sukidoushi_."

"But what does that mean, Ryosuke?"

"Our laws do not allow us to tell you Harry. It is something that you need to work out." Minato calmly pointed out sharing a look with Ryosuke.

"Harry, how do you feel about Ryosuke?" Hermione drew his attention.

"Hermione! What kind of question is that?" Harry's blush grew to cover his whole face and he once again tried to remove himself from Ryosuke's hold.

"A serious one. Remember Harry, we covered this last night after all, none of us care that you're gay. Just answer the question."

"I like him." Harry mumbled not looking at any of his friends.

"And when you think of what you like about him what comes to mind?" Hermione softened her tone at Harry's embarrassment.

"His kisses and eyes." Was the mumbled response.

"You've kissed!" Squealed Ginny. "When?" She scooted close to Harry.

"Ginny! I don't want to know that!" Ron exclaimed staring at his sister in horror.

"While Ginny could have phrased that better, the question stands. When and how often Harry? Did you go to him or did he come to you?" Hermione asked.

"What does it matter?" Harry questioned back crossing his arms.

"Alright. I'll ago about this in a different way." Hermione mumbled as she put the book down and sat back against the tree behind her. "According to this book Joukriger and their mates, humans or another Joukriger, feel a deep attraction once both are of age. Did you know Ginny, the Joukriger will know on sight who the mate is, but for humans they need to figure it out themselves in order to remove the feeling of being trapped that some human mates have stated in the past? Apparently, even though they understood that magic choose them to be a perfect match, some humans have been unable to accept it easily. Thus a law was put in place that Joukriger could not claim a human mate until the human mate accepted their love for the Joukriger. However, the human mate will feel a draw within their magic to be with the Joukriger until they become complete. Luna, you study a lot of creatures with your father. This isn't unusual is it?"

"Not at all Hermione. The wackspurts seem to really be leaving you alone today. Your explanation is very good because that goes for most magical creatures and their mates." Luna replied as she started making a daisy chain.

"Wait, are you saying I'm a mate? My life is already messed up with Voldemort. Are you saying that something else unusual has been decided for me?" Harry interrupted staring at Hermione like she was crazy.

"Not at all Harry. I'm merely stating facts from a book I found about magical creatures and comparing the information with Luna. I never said you were mated nor that anything was unusual about what was happening. Now will you answer the questions from before? When did you kiss and did you go to him?" Harry narrowed his eyes trying to see if Hermione was hiding anything. However, the witch was too good at getting Ron and Harry to answer questions, once she had provided them with the needed information she wasn't worried about letting anything extra slip. After all, Hermione knew that Harry would never accept that he was mated to another person unless he came to the conclusion himself. With a few more pushes in the right direction she knew that Harry would come to the conclusion needed and not over react.

Hermione so hoped that Harry accepted this mate ship. It would be so good for him and offer even more protection from Voldemort and the Death Eaters than what he already currently had. If the book was right, then Harry would be the submissive in the pairing, which would mean that he would have all of the Joukriger backing him, giving him the large family he wanted. However, if Harry didn't accept this then Hermione worried that he would deny it and all that it could offer him.

"I was asked to meet him." Harry mumbled to Hermione while looking out over the lake as if, if he didn't look at her, the response wasn't given. The Joukriger stayed silent. They knew that the witch was directing Harry to the answer without directly saying it. Ryosuke only hoped that it worked and Harry accepted their bond.

"But did you go? Why did you meet him?" Hermione prodded.

"It felt right to go. Like if I didn't I'd miss something important." Hermione smiled at that knowing that she got enough clues across for Harry to figure it out.

"And what did we learn about our magic in Transfiguration and Charms this last week?"

"That they will sometimes lead us to what we need in our lives when doing spells."

"Not just when doing spells Harry," Ron chimed in figuring out what Hermione was going. "Remember a few summers ago when Neville came over for a visit, but couldn't explain why until he found that plant in our back yard?" Harry nodded remembering the instance.

"I do. It was so strange to be sitting in my greenhouses at home working on my plants and suddenly feel like I was missing something. The only thing I knew was that I'd find it at your house." Neville chuckled.

"So what your saying is that my magic knew that if I didn't meet with Ryosuke that I would be missing something important."

"And when you kissed?" Hermione prodded a bit more.

"It felt like when I entered Hogwarts for the first time. Like I had come home. Every kiss after that increased the feeling of being right where I should be even more." Harry's eyes glazed over as his mind dropped into his memories. "It felt like being surrounded completely by magic and never wanting it to dissipate. Like that one time the 7th years over saturated their dorm room with magic and we all got high on the magic residue coming to our dorm." The students all laughed remembering that night. As their laughter petered out Harry came to the realization that Hermione was leading him towards. With a burst of strength, tied in with Ryosuke's relaxed hug, Harry burst up and ran. The Joukriger were all concerned by his reaction while Ryosuke looked shocked at the empty air in front of him.

"I'll go after him. He's probably going to the pitch." Ron said passing his cards to a shocked Minato before leaving the area.

Ron took his time getting to the pitch to allow Harry to work off his initial reaction. He was confident that Hermione and the others would get more information from the Joukriger to share with him and Harry later while he spent this time calming Harry down. After watching Harry zoom around the field eight times Ron summoned his broom and a quaffle sized ball used to practice passes to join Harry in the air. It didn't seem like he would be coming down soon.

"Heads up mate." Ron called out before tossing the ball to Harry as he flew pass. Harry stopped in surprise before having to dive after the ball that bounced off of his head. After leveling off again Harry looked at Ron.

"When did you get here? Why are you here? Why aren't you freaking out? I'm mated to a creature!" Harry babbled close to hyperventilating.

"Um, about eight rotations around the pitch ago. To talk to my best mate, have you seen him? Why should I? and So?" Ron responded catching the ball that Harry threw at him.

"Very funny Ron."

"I thought so. Seriously mate. It's not a big deal." Ron passed the ball back starting a short game of catch while they talked.

"But I'm mated to a creature!"

"So is Sirius. You don't seem to have a problem with him and Remus." Ron cocked his head to the side.

"But they're not fated!"

"Neither are you, mate. Just because you are soulmates doesn't mean that fate decided to put you together. Your magic did. Your magic thought that he was the best person for you. Happens with wizards all the time. I'm sure if you asked, that Sirius and Remus are soulmates as well. I know Mum and Dad are." Ron shrugged.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are?" Harry asked starting to calm down.

"Yep. Dad mentioned that when he was half way through his 6th year he had the urge to learn everything he could about Mum. Within weeks they were officially together and Mum was starting to plan their wedding for after they both graduated."

"Really?"

"Yah, they told us so that we wouldn't freak out if we suddenly became super attached to someone. It doesn't happen to all wizards, or even in all families. Sometimes magic just decides that two people are perfect for each other and makes them soulmates. I think Dad is the 10th Weasley to have a soulmate; whereas Mum is only the 2nd from her side."

"Oh. So it's not really a big deal?"

"Not at all. In fact, just think. Ryosuke, if he is your soulmate, will have to get through not only Sirius, Remus, Mum and Dad, but all of us Weasleys. Can't let him get away with only thinking that Sirius and Remus will be his in-laws." Ron grinned over at Harry glad to see Harry accepting this. "Now, you better send Sirius and Remus a message to let them know." Harry groaned as they landed. He so didn't want to tell Sirius and Remus that he was seeing someone.

-Nanananananananananana-

AN:

So next chapter will be a little bit in the future. We'll see some of Sirius and Remus's reaction to the news and the school year will continue on. I made 16 the age where soulmate bonds can start to form because that is the age of consent in the UK. So even though they can't use magic outside of school until 17, their wizarding majority, they can have sexual relations at 16.

Still open Poll: Dumbledore Approve or Disapprove?

2 Approve 0 Disapprove

Another poll question: Do you want more Joukriger to pair up with Hogwarts students? If so, who? It will only be as a side pairing. Like Ron/Hermione, Sirius/Remus, Arthur/Molly. Mentioned but not the focus.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. So are favs, kudos, follows, and subscribes. I am now on both fanfiction and ao3 under the same penname and story title. Both locations will be updates together.

 _Koi_ = (恋) love

 _Sukidoushi_ = (好き土子) soul mate


	6. Chapter 6

AN:

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

Only one person has been able to guess at most of the eye color meanings so far. Keep on guessing and don't forget about the 2 polls that are currently open.

This chapter is to help explain some stuff that were brought up as concerns in reviews/comments. Not all will be answered in this chapter. No Joukriger in this chapter.

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 **Word** is letter

-Nananananananananananana-

Harry sat down in front of the fire, a book on his lap, rolls of blank parchment, and his ink and quill. He stared into the fire for a few minutes, enjoying the warmth, before shaking himself out of his daze. He needed to get this letter written or Ron would do it for him via his mother; and Harry did not want to know what would happen if he resorted to that. 'Do I tell them everything or just that I'm possibly have started seeing someone? Should I write a normal letter now and then send one telling them about Ryosuke later? No that would be bad. If Ron knew I did that he would go through with telling Mrs. Weasley who would let it slip to them.' Harry picked up his quill and poised it over his first piece of parchment.

 **Dear Sirius and Remus,**

Harry scratched that out, ripped the top section off, and threw it into the fire.

 **Dear Padfoot and Moony,**

After staring at the start for a few minutes that piece joined the first in the fire.

 **Sirius and Remus,**

 **I'm dating a boy.**

Another for the fire.

 **Padfoot and Moony,**

 **I've been kissing someone and think we're dating.**

Harry crumpled this one into a ball before pitching into the fire.

 **Padfoot and Moony,**

 **How are you? Things are going swell here.**

 **Please don't kill the person I'm dating.**

Folding this try into a crane, taught to him by Hermione the year before, he sent it flying into the fire.

 **Padfoot and Moony,**

 **Were mum and dad soul mates? I think I'm soul mated to someone. Surprise!?**

Thirty minutes later Harry was down to a few pieces of parchment left. Running his hands through his hair Harry contemplated how to start of this letter. He couldn't be too formal, not after the talk he had gone through with the two during summer this year about being family and keeping in touch. Especially not after Remus explained that Moony saw Harry as his cub and Sirius his mate. 'I wonder if Remus meant soul mate when he said that… Got to focus on this letter!'

 **Padfoot and Moony,**

 **School has started off well. No unexpected sortings or pieces of news. I know I was supposed to write to you earlier but rather late than never right?**

 **How are things at the Den? Has Padfoot recovered from what happened in May? That spell got rather close to doing some serious damage after all. I haven't read the Prophet recently. Any news about when the Ministry will release the news that you're innocent and free? You mentioned that you were going to meet with them after I returned to school about the fact that Pettigrew was caught alive. The moon was pretty bright last month. Any problems from that?**

 **Have you had any more thoughts about what we discussed this summer about what we saved in May? I know you wanted me to apologize to Dumbledore for destroying items in his office but I haven't really had a chance to do so yet. The one time we have talked this term he didn't seem mad about that and was as grandfatherly as last year. It's like nothing ever phases him. I haven't heard anything regarding our discussion around here.**

 **Did you know about what was brought to Hogwarts this year? Dumbledore got the Joukriger to come and protect the students. Do you know anything about them? When they arrived they said they weren't taking a side in this war, but only here to protect the students while they are here at Hogwarts. We were also warned from interfering with any who were mated or going through the mate process. Did you know they mated like many magical creatures? I've met with a few. They're a nice group for the most part. Strangely, they always seem to be burning herbs and plants in their rooms. Do you know what's up with that? I'll ask Hermione too. She was reading a few books on them earlier.**

 **I've started seeing someone. Kind of. I wasn't really sure at first what was going on, but I guess you could say we're dating now. His name is Ryosuke. We met a few days ago. I also found out they burn herbs from when I was visiting him.**

 **Do you think the Joukriger will fight Voldemort if he tries anything this year? It's almost Halloween and you know how something has happened every Halloween these last few years. Or maybe since they are here he won't do anything.**

 **Write back soon,**

 **Prongslet**

Harry read over the letter a few times. 'Hopefully with the dating news in the middle near the end they won't really notice anything different. It will be just like any piece of news I'm passing on. Not important enough to warrant a reaction when reading it.'

After the ink dried Harry carefully folded it up and got it ready to send off in the morning. He gathered the last of his parchment and took everything back upstairs.

'I'll send it off in the morning before breakfast.' Harry put everything away before joining Ron for a game of chess that he was sure to loose.

* * *

On the other side of the common room, while Harry was working on his letter, Hermione was working on her term long extra credit project.

"Hermione, can I ask you something?" Ginny sat down at the table filled up with books and parchments of notes.

"Sure Ginny. What can I help you with?" Hermione put her quill, giving Ginny her full attention.

"How did you get your hands on those books about Joukriger? I know you said earlier you got them from the library but I don't think those would really be available to just anyone."

"They aren't available to everyone. I got them from the restricted section."

"The restricted section? How did you get access so quickly?" Ginny looked mystified.

"I have an open pass to that section for my extra credit project I'm working on for both Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick. I'm able to take multiple books from the section at any time for a period of time." Hermione shrugged.

"The Joukriger don't have anything to do with your project though do they? How can you get books about them when your project is on creating a new spell that combines Charms and Transfiguration? Wouldn't the pass only allow you to take books on those topics?"

"The perks of being in a Librarian's good graces is being able to bend library rules enough for some extra reading if proper rules are followed." Ginny couldn't help but giggle at how proud Hermione looked to be on Madam Pince's good side. "To be honest she almost didn't let me take them. I had to explain that Harry was acting a little strange since they showed up so I wanted to research them and see if it was something about them that was causing it."

"And she just let you take them?"

"No. I had to promise a few things first. Like how no Hogwarts students could handle the books while I had them checked out. That's why I didn't ask everyone to help in the research. She also made me promise to follow the laws stated in the books to the letter. That was a little trickier because of the wording of some of the laws. The last promise was to return them as soon as I found what I was searching for."

"Hence why you left not long after Ron and took the books with you." Ginny nodded her head thinking. "Madam Pince is rather strict with her realm. I'm sure if you didn't follow through with your promises even you would be banned."

"I'm not sure banned from the whole Library but from the restricted section definitely. Which would make my project impossible since all of the spell crafting books are in the restricted section. Also, it's good to stay on her good side. This way if we need books for other things this year I can continue to have access to them."

"Thanks for explaining, Hermione. I'll let you go back to your research."

"No problem Ginny." Hermione glanced back to the notes she had been making.

"By the way. Why didn't you just owl order the books?" Ginny called back.

"That would have been the next step if the library didn't have anything. Ultimately, there is no reason to ignore the resources available in front of you if they are there."

"Makes sense." Ginny continued across to the portrait hole. 'I wonder how Luna knew the information. She didn't seem super surprised by what Hermione was revealing. Her dad must have information about them with all of the magical creatures he searches for. She should be in her common room about now, I wonder if she is free to hang out.'

-Nanananananananaanana-

AN: It seems, like many teenagers, Harry isn't great about letting their parent-figures know about their dating life. Then again how many 16 year olds want to tell their parents when they are dating someone? I hope you enjoyed the some of the various letter starting drafts Harry went through.

Next chapter will be jumping forward in time a few weeks and will see more info about the bond and how it is affecting them, Sirius and Remus's response, and some new and familiar faces.

Open Polls:

Dumbledore – Approve 2

Disapprove 4 (remember this is disapprove of the soul mate bond but still not the bad guy in the story)

Joukriger paired with other Hogwarts Students?

Luna – 6

Neville – 5

Draco – 2

Blaise – 2

Theodore – 2

Ginny – 1

Reviews/Comments are greatly appreciated because I tend to forget that what seems obvious to me is not always obvious to you readers. So are favs, kudos, follows, and subscribes. I am now on both fanfiction and ao3 under the same penname and story title. Both locations will be updated together.


	7. Chapter 7

AN:

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

Only one person has been able to guess at most of the eye color meanings so far; more color hints to come next chapter. Keep on guessing and don't forget about the 2 polls that are currently open.

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ is translated below.

-Nananananananananananana-

Chapter 7

"Ryosuke, before you leave we want to talk to you." Suzaka called out as Ryosuke left his room.

"Uncle?"

"Sit. We've discussed what has been happening between you and Harry since you saw him that first night with some of the healers and scholars back home. We might have found some reasons for you ignoring your lessons like you did." Suzaku pulled out rolls of parchments as Ryosuke sat on the couch across from them.

"As you know, our instincts and magic from being a magical creature do not work the same as for humans; and sometime they make us act without considering why. From what they have been able to tell, your soulmate bond is growing faster than normal. This is leading you to react as you have. Your magic and instincts are telling you that your bond is further along than it actually is, and that you need to be doing more for them to settle down. However, from what we can see with Harry, is that while his side is growing faster as well, it is not as fast as yours. Thus your side trying to balance it out by forcing his to grow." Suzaku leaned back on the couch studying Ryosuke.

"When did you have the time to test all of this? It's only been two weeks since it happened?" Ryosuke looked between the two as he picked up a few of the parchments to glance over.

"We have been testing you since that night, as you know. Minato was given the spell and has been testing Harry secretly for a few days, before he was caught and had to explain the very basics, as well. No worries, Harry doesn't have any knowledge regarding the tests other than it is checking the health of the bond to make sure that there wasn't any interference. He was told this was normal, so do not let on that anything abnormal is happening. There is no reason to worry him if this can be fixed quickly. If it cannot be fixed quickly then a more in depth discussion will take place. Our healers and scholars also looked over these tests and came to this conclusion." Suzaka leaned back in his seat.

"So, what is causing the bond to grow so quickly and why is it unbalanced?" Ryosuke asked looking concerned, his eyes turning black. "How do we fix this? I don't want to go out of control again and hurt Harry."

"There are a few things that might be causing this according to the scholars. As you are aware, wizards come into their magical majority at 17, a year after the soulmate bond can first start showing up. It could be, that since Harry's magic is still growing and normalizing, that it is interfering with how your side sees things. The difference in your ages and experiences could be a factor; Harry is only 16 but you are 21. Your instincts might be pushing for the bond to grow quickly because you have been of age for a soul bond for some years now and Harry just started. You have also had romantic partners in the past whereas Harry may or may not have; we don't know. Harry could be above normal in power levels. There are different reasons that your instincts are causing you to ignore your lessons in regards to your soulmate." Suzaku calmly explained reading off of the notes from the scholars.

"As to how you fix it. Without knowing the specific cause there can't be a specific fix. However, the scholars do say that small touches, small kisses, and simply being near each other can help your side balance to Harry's. If you continue at the intensity you started with, then the bond will not balance or being complete. You need to go at Harry's pace and slow your side down. Not speed his up. Basically, unless Harry moves things forward, you cannot do more than simple kisses. This is why Minato has continued to chaperone you and will continue to step in whenever you start becoming too intense." Suzaka contributed.

"Yes he has been very good at that." Ryosuke shot a silver eyed stare at Minato who calmly waved back from his position behind Suzaka. "Every time things have started going well Minato has drenched me in water. If I so much as twitch a hand below Harry's waist he zaps me with a small lightening spell. He has been careful to not hit Harry, but that doesn't keep me from feeling the full effect. The only time I have been able to really do anything is when Harry's team won their match last week."

"You've gotten better with your reaction times from this. To think, your battle skills are increasing while you are busy with your _sukidoushi_." Minato smirked at Ryosuke, eyes flashing blue in excitement.

"And Minato will continue to do so. He will monitor your bonds with the spells sent to him by our healers and scholars. If the bond doesn't start balancing out in the next few months we will need to call them here for them to look at the both of you in person." Suzaka interrupted before Ryosuke could respond.

"Basically, keep everything PG as the non-magicals would say; and stop overwhelming the boy. Follow these rules and Minato won't have to keep spraying you with water or electricity. Now, have you talked to Harry about that night?" Suzaku stared hard at Ryosuke.

"Yes. The next time we had a moment to ourselves we talked. He wasn't very happy to learn the purpose of the herbs being burned, nor with the way they heavily affected him and partly affect me. I explained that the some of those being burned were normally burned in our rooms here at Hogwarts and at home; but that I had added extra. I honestly didn't know how strongly they would affect him, nor myself once it was just two of us. I just thought it would lead him to be the one to initiate the kissing after a few questions. I wasn't expecting it to go the way it did, nor for it to happen so quickly. I've apologized to him and gave him a peace offering from that chocolate shop in the village." Ryosuke looked down at his clenched hands remembering the unpleasant conversation.

"Yes, Minato was kind enough to share the memory of that explosive conversation with us and the healers. It's a good thing he stayed to hear you out." Suzaka remarked sharing a look with Suzaku.

"That is also a side effect of this bond issue. With the bond growing so quickly and unevenly, our healers believe that the uneven bond led you to burn the damiana and dogbane, which threw the bond off-kilter even more. You are still allowed to burn the chamomile, cherry, and mint but must burn sage every other time to help purify the area of negative effects. All of the damiana and dogbane have been removed and none shall be permitted into these rooms. We want to avoid any instances like this in the future while your soul mate bond is forming.

"Now, I believe you were meeting them for breakfast. You are free to go." Suzaku dismissed Ryosuke. Ryosuke left the Joukriger common rooms, followed by his now ever present chaperone, and headed to meet up with his mate.

* * *

"Harry, did you ever send that letter to Sirius and Remus? It has been two weeks after all." Ron asked during breakfast shoveling another serving of eggs onto his plate.

"I did but haven't got anything back yet. You don't think they're upset do you? They should have replied by now right?" Harry picked up a blueberry muffin to pick at.

"Of course not, Harry." Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry's worry. "Why would they be upset?"

"Well, I leave them during the summer with no romantic interests and suddenly I'm dating an unknown." Harry shrugged.

"Unknown am I?" Ryosuke asked as he sat down on Harry's right making the 4th year that was sitting there shift down with a grumble. The Gryffindors and other houses had slowly gotten used to Joukriger joining them at meals instead of just standing around the halls as more and more students approached them. Ryosuke dropped a kiss to Harry's cheek before filling his plate. Minato and two other Joukriger sat down at the table as well displacing a few more students.

"To my godfather and his mate you are." Harry replied calmly reaching over Minato for the pitcher of pumpkin juice.

"I don't know how you students can drink that stuff," Minato's nose scrunched up as the pitcher passed in front of him, "way too sweet." Harry rolled his eyes, Minato had been saying that every meal they have had in the hall.

"And yet you have no issue with providing large boxes of sweet chocolates as gifts. Just drink your water or orange juice. No one is making you drink this. Plus there is nothing wrong with drinking something sweet in the mornings. It is also autumn, this means pumpkin flavored everything is in now." Harry rolled his eyes as he poured himself a glass before glancing up at the sound of wings. "Looks like the post is here." Owls started dropping down in front of recipients all around the hall, trading packages and letters for strips of bacon or other food. Harry was surprised to see Hedwig fly in and land in front of Ryosuke. The two seemed to hold a staring contest before the owl released the letter in her claws to the brown eyed Joukriger. After releasing the letter Hedwig stole a piece of bacon from Harry's, Ron's, and Ryosuke's plate before flying off.

"What's this?" Ryosuke flipped the letter over looking for any clue to who would be sending him a letter.

"Why did Hedwig deliver a letter to you?" Harry looked puzzled and a little hurt that it wasn't for him. Maybe Sirius and Remus were upset with him.

"Hedwig?"

"Yes, she's my owl. I had sent her to my godparents two weeks ago."

"Hmm." Ryosuke opened the letter and started to read. A few seconds into reading the notice a puff of purple glittery smoke appeared and covered Ryosuke head to toe, and only Ryosuke. Everyone in the area stared wide-eyed at Ryosuke as the smoke cleared. It wasn't long before the first bits of laughter broke through the surrounding silence. Harry was able to keep it together until he heard the sounds of laughter and praise coming from the Twins who were seated half of the table away. As if it were a signal to the rest of the student body to start, Harry broke into tear-inducing laughter.

"Please tell me that is from my godparents!" Harry managed to squeeze out between bouts of laughter.

"It is signed 'Padfoot and Moony, Marauders To The End'. They are both warning and threatening me about being with you and inviting me to dinner, so yes. I would say it is from your godparents. There also seems to be something at the bottom for you. Something about talking with you in person at the Shrieking Shack before the dinner." Ryosuke grumbled looking down with silver eyes at his bright purple skin that glittered as he shifted. What he didn't realize at first was not only was his skin purple with glitter but his red hair had become bright neon green and stuck up in a tall mohawk.

"Is there a way to get rid of this?" Ryosuke scowled at Minato who continued to laugh.

"Let me see." Harry took the letter with a few more laughs escaping him. "Hmmm."

"Well?"

"Hold on. Fred! George! Can you come here?" Harry called down the table while passing the letter to Ron for him and Hermione to read.

"Harry –"

"Lovely –"

"Darling –"

"Investor –"

"Brother –"

"What can we do for you?" The twins finished together.

"Can you remove this?" Harry gestured at Ryosuke trying to hold in his laughter.

"We would –"

"- love to be the ones –"

"- to remove this –"

"- from your illustrious presence." Both reached down to grab Ryosuke's arms.

"Not him! Despite what happened two weeks ago, and I'm not sure how you all found out," Harry ran suspicious eyes over his friends who looked innocently back, "I'd like to keep him. Just remove the prank." Harry grabbed hold before Ryosuke could move.

"Why dear Harry –"

"- do you not trust us to –"

"- bring him –"

" –somewhere else?"

"No. I've no guarantee that you wouldn't do something else. Fix it here please. Or no more invention ideas."

"Harry!"

"You wound us!" Even with the protests Harry noticed that both twins were moving their wands about above Ryosuke.

"There dear brother –"

"- he's all better." At that Ryosuke returned to normal.

"Thank you two. It would have been horrible to travel around all day purple with green hair. Now Harry, tell me about your godparents so that I can be prepared for this dinner they asked for." Ryosuke stated getting back to his breakfast now that he was normal. Or well, he was until his hair slowly morphed from his normal red to orange, followed by yellow, green, blue, and purple before starting at red again. The whole process was a gradual change that took over a minute to complete each cycle.

Harry stared at Ryosuke's hair a moment longer before turning to Ron and Hermione who were shaking their heads trying not to laugh.

"What, did they not get it all?" Ryosuke asked glancing at Minato.

" _Kouteishi_ , I didn't know you were looking to copy my style! I would have brought more potions if I knew." A Joukriger with long blue hair up in a high pony tail walked towards them with another who had short spiky blonde hair. "Although I don't think your uncles or parents would approve."

"Junpei, what are you talking about?" Ryosuke turned in his seat to look at the two who came up behind him.

"He is referring to your rainbow hair, _kouteishi_." The blonde replied as Junpei started running his hands through Ryosuke's hair as if he was planning on styling it.

"Junpei, stop that right now. I will not have you style my hair. Koyo, explain." Ryosuke batted Junpei's hands away as the students continued to snicker in the background.

"While your purple skin and green hair have indeed disappeared, your hair is now going through the colors of the rainbow. I believe these twins switched one prank for another." Koyo leaned closer to examine Ryosuke's hair. "The red is fairly similar to your natural color so it wasn't picked up right away. It is interesting that they were able to get the same shade of blue that Junpei uses. I wonder if they used the same potion." Koyo started talking to himself as he fingered a bit of color changing hair.

"Koyo, before you get caught up in breaking down what they did. Undo it." Ryosuke glared at the twins with silver eyes. With a nod Koyo got to work cancelling the prank on Ryosuke's hair.

"Hey now!" Fred pouted.

"We worked hard on that." George added on.

"Don't remove it so quickly!" Both twins could only watch in despair as Koyo was able to dismantle the prank they worked all week on with Sirius and Remus. It had taken them four owls back and forth, 20 galleons, and 5 failed attempts before they were able to create the two part successful prank with Sirius and Remus.

"I think to save my sanity and the other Joukriger from further pranks, I'll assign you two to watch these twins." Ryosuke motioned to Junpei and Koyo. "Between the two of you you should be able to stop further instances of trouble."

"Don't be mad, Ryosuke. My godfathers and the twins are natural pranksters. It's completely normal for them to prank someone who is looking to join the family. And really, this was tame to what they could have done considering what happened two weeks ago." Harry kissed Ryosuke on the cheek as the last of the prank disappeared. "I kind of liked the multi-colored hair." Harry ran his fingers through the red hair before him.

"Are you saying you don't like my hair in its natural red?" Ryosuke frowned.

"Nah, I like that too." Harry gave Ryosuke a quick kiss before leaving the table. "It would have been fun to see you with rainbow hair after classes finished today though. Would have gone well with the Halloween theme that has already started. Maybe I'll see about making something that will change your hair to match your eyes for Halloween." With that the students all started to leave the hall for their first class of the day.

"If his godparents are pranksters as well, you will need to watch out when you go to dinner. When is the invitation for?" Minato picked up the letter hoping there wasn't another pranked attached.

"I'm to specify the date and if I am bringing anyone other than Harry who is expected to be there. They mentioned a Hogsmeade weekend as a possibility. If I do that I can bring a few guards to the dinner and not just the village." Ryosuke looked back at the letter.

"The next Hogsmeade weekend is in a few weeks, just before Halloween if I'm not mistaken. I'll take this to your uncles so that they are aware of this outing."

"Thank you Minato. I'll send a reply to Harry's godparents tonight. A prank for those looking to join the family, huh. I wonder if I'll need to watch for more pranks." Ryosuke wondered aloud as he went back to finishing his breakfast. 'Hopefully Junpei and Koyo will be able to stop those twins from causing an incident with the Joukriger here and not join in with them or provide ideas. Maybe I should have attached different Joukriger… no Koyo should be able to keep them in line around the Joukriger if not the rest of the school.'

Dumbledore watched everything from the head table. While he got a laugh out of the back-to-back pranks, he wondered if he would need to set aside some time to talk to Harry before things developed further. 'It wouldn't do for Harry to stop preparing for battle against Voldemort because of a love interest; unless Harry is able to sway them to join the fight…'

-Nanananananananaanana-

AN: Some bond explanation, pranks, and meetings to look forward to. 2 new Joukriger were named this chapter, hopefully they will be able to keep the twins in line…

Open Polls: This is the last chapter that voting for Dumbledore will be open.

Dumbledore – Approve 3

Disapprove 7

Joukriger paired with other Hogwarts Students?

Luna – 9

Neville – 9

Blaise – 4

Draco – 2

Ginny – 2 (-1 vote… so back to 1?)

Theodore – 2

Snape – 1

Reviews are greatly appreciated. So are favs, kudos, follows, and subscribes. I am now on both fanfiction and ao3 under the same penname and story title. Both locations will be updated together.

Answers for a reviewer that won't give away the plot: This will be similar to cannon in some ways but not all, no Horcrux to worry about in this story.

Kouteishi – (皇帝子) crown prince

Sukidoushi – (好き同士) soul mate


	8. Chapter 8

AN:

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

Big THANK YOU and shout out to Bicky Monster for helping me with one of the scenes in this chapter! Without Bicky's help the scene would not have turned out as good as it is.

Warnings: SLASH from non-main pairing! Nothing explicit, but it is very obvious what is happening/will continue to happen.

I chose to go with this pairing first, not because the # of votes but because this the plot bunnies attacked me after their name was added to the possible pairings list.

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ is translated below.

-Nanaananananananana-

Dumbledore sat in his office, stirring his tea, after sending off a message for Harry to meet him in a few minutes. Since classes were done for the day, he was sure that Harry would have no issues in meeting him right away after receiving the message. All he had to do was wait.

'Shall I start with asking how he got to know the Joukriger so quickly, or maybe ask what studying he has done for the war so far? Or perhaps I could bring up my own dating past during the war and work my way around the subject?' Dumbledore shifted his gaze to Fawkes, who was busy cleaning his feathers, as he contemplated which route to take in his talk with Harry. 'I want him to stay focused on the war with Voldemort, especially since he now knows the prophecy. We need to figure out what this 'power the Dark Lord knows not' is. Hopefully Harry has been putting some thought into this.'

As Dumbledore drank the last of the tea from the cup, the sensor in front of the gargoyle guarding his office went off. Looking over, he noticed Harry standing there, providing the current password. Moments later a knock sounded at his door.

"Come in, my boy!" Dumbledore cheerfully called out. "The House Elves sent up a lovely masala chai today. Would you like a cup?" he asked as Harry entered the room.

"Thank you, sir. I've never had that before but it does sound good. How are you today, Fawkes?" Harry asked reaching out to scratch the top of Fawkes' head. A soft trill was his reply as Harry took his seat in front of Dumbledore's desk.

"Here you go, my boy. Lemon Drop?" Dumbledore pushed the cup of tea across his desk and picked up his tin of lemon drops. At Harry's no, Dumbledore popped one into his mouth.

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes, Harry, just a chat. I got quite the laugh out of yesterday morning's mail. Do send my regards to Sirius and Remus the next time you write to them. The double prank was very well done."

"Yes, sir. I'll let them know you enjoyed it." Harry sipped at his tea.

"The one who was pranked is name Ryosuke, am I right?"

"Yes, sir."

"I thought so. While the prank was ingenious; you might want to warn Sirius, Remus, and the twins from pranking him or his uncles in the future, Harry."

"Why, sir?"

"I'm not sure if I should mention this, my boy, but those three are in charge of the group that came. If they are angered in any way they could make the decision to leave and no longer offer their protection. We wouldn't want to put the students in any danger from their leaving. I'm sure Voldemort would see it as a chance to attack."

"I don't think you have to worry about them leaving, sir. Or at least, not all of them leaving."

"What makes you say that, Harry? Because you are close to them?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at Harry over his tea cup rim, hoping that Harry would confide some secret to him.

"Well, it's just that…" Harry paused as he felt like his voice disappeared. He just couldn't get the information out. He couldn't say that he was Ryosuke's soul mate. Something in his magic was stopping him from saying the words. 'Why can't I say the words? Will I never be able to say the words out loud?'

"What is it, Harry? You know you can tell me anything." Dumbledore leaned forward in his seat.

"They've become very good friends," Harry told him, glad that his magic was at least going to let him say that much. "I know that many now sit at house tables with students, not just Ryosuke." Harry blushed a little at the knowing look in Dumbledore's eyes.

"You seem rather close to this Ryosuke, Harry. I believe I saw you kiss him this morning." Dumbledore paused, as though giving Harry a chance to deny it. Though from Harry's own pause earlier, he knew he wouldn't. "I don't want you to get hurt if they leave, or if Voldemort attacks. Or," Dumbledore paused again, giving a heavy, sad sigh, "if he leaves you for his mate. You've seen in the past that Voldemort likes to target those close to you; and Joukriger will always leave someone the instant they find their mate. Do you think it wise to form such a close relationship with people who are only going to stay neutral in the conflict or will dump you as soon as someone else comes along?"

"Are you saying I should leave them be because they won't help in our fight?" Harry looked at Dumbledore confused. "But, sir, I thought you told me in May to enjoy being a normal young man. Isn't dating someone normal?" Harry asked, not really happy that Dumbledore seemed to want to keep him away from Ryosuke, "can't I just have something normal in my life?"

"Of course you should, Harry!" Dumbledore exclaimed softly, giving Harry a sympathetic smile. "I'm not saying to leave them alone. Show them around the castle, play card games with them, just don't start a relationship with one of them. I just wanted to make sure you understood that if Voldemort attacks outside of the school, like at the Ministry in May, they won't help in the fight. They are neutral and will stay that way. I just don't want to see you hurt by getting too close, my boy. Enjoy your time as a youth, just don't forget the larger picture.

"Let's change topics, hm? More tea?" Dumbledore poured more into both of their cups. "I know you talked to Sirius and Remus during the summer about the prophecy. Have the three of you come up with any ideas regarding it?" Dumbledore changed the subject knowing he would get no more from Harry right now.

"We hadn't during summer and I haven't had much time to think about it this term yet." Harry shrugged looking into his tea, still thinking about the last topic.

"Harry, my boy, you were supposed to think of a few things that could help in the fight. You were the one who insisted on helping the war effort." Dumbledore frowned at Harry.

"I know, sir. I just got caught up in the excitement of the Joukriger showing up."

"I'm a little disappointed, Harry. This is another reason I don't want you to get too close to them. You need to spend time focusing on Voldemort, not people who aren't allies. I know you want to be a part of the war effort, Harry, I'm just not sure you are ready for it if you are getting caught up in other things so easily. I had them come to protect the students so that you could focus on the war effort."

"I'll spend time this weekend thinking of a few things and will send another letter to Sirius and Remus discussing the prophecy. I promise," Harry told him urgently, not wanting Dumbledore to start leaving him out of what was going on. "I want to help out, especially with the prophecy being about Voldemort and me." Dumbledore heaved a great sigh, as if there was a great burden bearing down on him.

"Very well, my boy. I'll let you continue to help out. If it starts affecting your school work though, I will stop involving you. And if you are unable to do anything because of too many distractions, I'll stop then as well. We can't have either happen, Harry," Dumbledore said, fixing him with a very stern gaze. "I just want you to be safe and enjoy your youth."

"Yes, sir. I'll do better, I promise."

"Good," Dumbledore said, smiling once more. "Now finish off your tea and go meet up with your friends. Enjoy the afternoon before dinner tonight." Dumbledore watched as Harry quickly finished and left.

Minato slipped out of the office just behind Harry. He was now very glad that he followed Harry invisibly when he received the summons. It was also good to know that their invisibility could not be detected by wizarding means. Minato knew that it was risky to test their invisibility this way, but he also knew that with how manipulative Dumbledore was at their first meeting, Minato could not allow Harry to be dragged into anything that would hurt the bond forming between him and Ryosuke.

He followed Harry to Gryffindor Tower and watched as Harry entered. Waiting a few minutes Minato sent a memory globe to Koyo. A few moments later Koyo stepped out of the tower.

"What's going on, Minato?" Koyo hurried over to the alcove Minato was waiting in. Minato raised a few quick wards to stop unwanted listeners from overhearing anything.

"I need you to keep an eye on Harry if he leaves the Tower. I need to report information to _kouteishi_ and the generals right away."

"Of course. Junpei should be able to keep an eye on the twins for a few hours. They are currently busy with homework and then plan to work on some prank products. I can keep an eye on your charge until you return." Koyo bowed to Minato before retreating back to into the common rooms. As Koyo left Minato sent three globes out calling for an immediate meeting in the Joukriger rooms. He needed to let them know about the meeting Harry had and the information revealed during the meeting. Ryosuke needed to know that his _sukidoushi_ was caught up in a prophecy and the middle of this war. This latest information, depending on what else was going on and how Harry fully tied into the war, could see the Joukriger losing their neutral status.

* * *

( **MATURE SLASH SCENE AHEAD. Don't like, don't read. You have been warned** )

* * *

Two days before Halloween Draco was wandering through the dungeons looking for his best friend. Blaise had been randomly disappearing every day over the last few weeks and Draco wanted to know why. They also needed to discuss their plans for the Hogsmeade trip tomorrow. Theodore thought that Blaise had a new bed partner, which could very well be true, but whenever Blaise had dated and slept with people before Draco at least knew about it; and he did it in their dorm room. Blaise wasn't body shy and often made sure that everyone in Slytherin was aware the nights he was shagging someone. This time Draco had no idea what was going on and it bugged him. He would figure this all out, and make sure Blaise knew he was disappointed in him.

As Draco turned a corner he heard a loud moan come from a partially opened door way in an otherwise completely empty corridor. Wondering if there were non-Slytherin students behind the door that he could dock points from, Draco snuck closer.

"Yes. Ah. Ah. I still can't believe how far down you can go. Ah. Un. Harder! So close."

Smirking with glee at the thought of catching students in the act, which would mean a large amount of points lost, Draco slipped up to the door to peak in. 'Catching them just after or during the act would be the best amount of humiliation for them.' The first thing he noticed was a tan, naked back sitting on a table in what looked to be an unused classroom. The person's head was tilted back, eyes closed, with brown hair in disarray. There wasn't enough light in the room to tell how old the person was. Nor could Draco see school robes nearby that could give away their house. Draco tilted his head trying to find the other person in the room, from the way this one was talking obviously there was someone with them.

"So close. _Kami_ , you are amazing at this." Draco's eyes were caught as the person's arms moved to grip the head in front of them. From Draco's position he was unable to see who was before this naked person, but it was easy to tell that their head was moving back and forth from the hands gripping their black hair. This was perfect for high amounts of humiliation, the only way it would be better was if they were actually shagging.

" _Kami!_ " The figure tensed up for a few minutes before falling back onto the table behind them, breathing quickly, giving Draco a view of the tanned front and most importantly, the face of the person kneeling between their legs in the process of standing up. A face he knew very well.

"Blaise!" Draco threw open the door as he burst into the room red-faced. "I have been looking for you for hours and I find you in an unused classroom blowing another student?"

"Ah, Draco, hours? Really? I saw you less than 2 hours ago. However, since you seem to want to interrupt us, mind shutting the door? It seems we missed that coming in."

"Whatever happened to using our dorms? Why would you risk getting caught by Professor Snape?" Draco waved his arms around in agitation after shutting the door behind him.

"He's not a student Draco." Blaise answered the first question and ignored the others as he stretched out on top of the body on the desk possessively, not caring one bit that they were naked with his best friend in the room. "You also know this isn't my first time using these old rooms."

"That is not the point! If he isn't a student who is he? Are you sneaking in people from Hogsmeade now? Finally finish with your list of bed warmers here?"

"There was no need to sneak him in, he walked in with a group all on his own. And dating and having fun with multiple students last year isn't a crime. I, at least, was willing to experiment." Blaise shifted so that his legs were on either side of the hips below him as the males arms came up around him. Draco was startled to note the person's eyes were looking at him in a mixture of bright green and silver; and getting more and more silver with flashes of red the longer he looked. "Now, if you don't mind, Draco," Blaise's words snapping Draco's head up to look at his friend again, "we'd like to move on to further pleasures. Do see yourself out and be so good as to shut the door behind you."

"That's one of those creatures?!" Draco screeched connecting the changing eye color to the little he knew of them from the Malfoy library.

"Yes, Draco. This is Kazuma, he is a Joukriger. Now go away. You're interrupting our sex time." Blaise rolled his eyes as he waved his hand shooing at Draco like he was an irritating first year. Stunned at those words, the fact that Blaise would lower himself to having sex with a creature, and the curt dismissal from his best friend, Draco made his way out of the room blank-faced.

"I think you broke him _aibou_." Kazuma said as he started sucking on Blaise's neck, eyes losing the silver and red to turn completely green, working to leave a hickey for all to see.

"He'll get over it in a few minutes, will pout in front of the fire until I return, and then drill me for information. I'll have to inform him that we're bonded at some point." Blaise tilted his head further offering Kazuma more room as he started to grind his hips down. "Now I believe you were going to stick this somewhere for round three?"

"Impatient already? You'll need to wait a bit more for round three. I'm not as young as you, nor as quick to be ready." Kazuma ran a hand down Blaise's back to grab his ass at a particularly strong thrust from Blaise.

"We'll have to work on your stamina then. No one in their 20s should suffer so." Blaise got out before melding their mouths together.

-Nanananananananana-

AN: A special surprise for you lovely readers. Promiscuous Blaise + semi-voyeur Draco. The plot bunnies made me do it after receiving some reviews about it. Also, male-Blaise just needs more lovin'. I hope you all enjoyed it. I won't often have the non-main pairings interact in such ways, the plot bunnies just overwhelmed me and continued to attack until I wrote it.

Before anyone asks, the sexy scenes will only be between the slash pairings, it's what I'm more interested in, but the non-slash pairing will have romance – don't despair; just not as much reader fun as the slash (the main focus of the story romance wise). For example, many people are asking for a Luna pairing. If I write this one (very likely) it will be full of super sweet, 'awe' type of moments, not lust/sex moments because Luna doesn't really seem like that kind of character to me. Just wanted to give you a heads up.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. So are favs, kudos, follows, pms, and subscribes. Flames or negative reviews are fed to the plot bunnies to keep them multiplying. I am now on both fanfiction and ao3 under the same penname and story title. Both locations will be updated together.

Poll still open –

Joukriger paired with other Hogwarts Students?

Luna – 13

Neville – 12

Draco – 2

Ginny – 2 (-2 vote… so back to 0?)

Theodore – 2

Snape – 1

 _Kouteishi –_ (皇帝子) crown prince

 _Sukidoushi –_ (好き同士) soul mate

 _Kami_ – (神) god

 _Aibou_ – (相棒) partner/companion, can be used as a term of endearment

Eye color Reveal: Hopefully this chapter helped reveal some more. Here is what has been guessed correctly by 2+ people before this chapter.

Blue – happy/excitement

Silver – annoyance/?


	9. Chapter 9

AN:

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

This chapter didn't want to be written. I knew the locations I wanted to cover but the plot bunnies were not cooperating. _

Thank you again to Bicky Monster for helping me with a part of this by pointing out a way to make it flow better. You've been an amazing help with this story and keeping my plot bunnies working.

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 **Word** is written word

-Nananananananananananana-

"I thought this was supposed to be a date, followed by meeting up with my friends, a short separation, and then dinner with my godparents" Harry stated as he walked hand in hand with Ryosuke down to Hogsmeade village. With his right hand Harry wrapped his Gryffindor colored scarf tighter around his neck; it was shaping up to be a cold season. Some younger students passed them quickly, trying to make it to Hogsmeade before the upper years. Most of the students allowed into the village always ran to the village to gather all of the chocolate and joke products they could before a prefect or Professor stopped them.

"It is." Ryosuke looked over at Harry.

"Then why are Minato and a few other Joukriger following us?" Harry looked over his shoulder at Minato frowning at the happy wave he received.

"I told you we would be guarding the village while students were there. And Minato is still our chaperone despite my reassurances to my uncle that he was unneeded. Ignore them and let's enjoy our time together." Ryosuke pulled Harry along a little faster. "If we're sneaky enough we might be able to find some alone time away from Minato too."

Ryosuke didn't point out that it wasn't just Minato and three others behind them. In fact a total of ten guards would be going into the village today, the others would just stay invisible unless they were needed. After what Minato had overheard between Dumbledore and Harry, Ryosuke wasn't going to chance something happening; so he increased the number of planned guards from five. During the dinner tonight Minato would there as a visible member but there would be one or two others there as well. Harry's talk with his godparents at the shack would also be watched by a guard. If Harry was tied up in this war Ryosuke didn't want to chance losing him, but until they knew more information nothing could be done.

Once they reached the village Ryosuke led Harry to a small café that was tucked away between two houses. Ryosuke wanted to start their date with a nice cup of tea, for bonding purposes, followed by a picnic lunch before meeting up with Harry's friends to explore the village.

Naoya watched as Harry and Ryosuke separated from the group. He was careful to stay invisible as he wandered to his post in the village by the Post Office. Naoya watched as Harry's friend Hermione dragged of the younger red head, if he remembered correctly her name was Ginny, off to the new bookstore that was having its grand opening day sale. He noticed a few other students, mostly wearing blue scarfs and ties, heading in that direction as well, hoping to make use of the sale.

The other red head, Ron, headed off to Quality Quidditch Supply's branch store two shops down from where Naoya was stationed. On the way over he heard Ron mention his goal of finding some new magazines and Keeper gear for sale. His current gear took quite the beating the last match against Ravenclaw and the protection spells were starting to wear off.

Harry's quiet friend who was interested in plants, Neville, broke away from the group at about the same time; and made his way to the Greenhouse Nursery on the other side of town. He had mentioned to the younger red head that a Professor Sprout asked him to drop off an order for some De-Gnoming Spray and Plant Food for the school's greenhouses. The shop's latest magazine mentioned they were having a sale this weekend and Naoya was sure that Neville was hoping to get a few new seeds and plant cuttings for his own pots in Gryffindor Tower. Minato had marveled over how many pots this boy had in his section of the dorm room.

The most surprising of the group for Naoya was the young blonde from the different house, Luna. There was something about her that always drew his attention; and despite his invisibility, she was very obviously making her way towards where he was standing. Which should have been impossible for everyone but his mate.

* * *

Hours after they first entered the village, and a fantastic picnic filled with all of his favorites, Harry entered the Shrieking Shack after looking around to check if there was anyone watching. It wouldn't do for the mysteries of the shack to be revealed simply because he wasn't careful. As a second generation Marauder, he needed to keep the image of a haunted location going. It wouldn't do for the village children to start using the shack because they no longer thought it was haunted. Entering through the front door with no hesitation would destroy that reputation quickly.

He wandered about the downstairs area wondering if he got there early or if Sirius and Remus were on the second floor. Most of the dust on the ground had been cleaned up recently so he couldn't track footprints to their location. As he passed a doorway that led to the kitchen he was pulled into a hug.

"Prongslet! You made it." Sirius released Harry from his hold only for Remus to sneak in a hug as well.

"Sirius! Remus! Did you get here alright? No trouble?" Harry asked as he was shuffled into the kitchen where a tea set was waiting for them.

"Everything is fine, Harry. In fact we have some good news to share that is going to become public knowledge with a special edition of the Prophet this afternoon." Remus poured tea for all of them. "The Ministry held a closed trial for Sirius earlier this week, and after using Veritaserum, declared him a free man and have offered reparations for his time in Azkaban. The Prophet will be printing the truth of the matter and that Sirius is not, and never was, a Death Eater and has been declared free. In fact the special edition with that information should be arriving to people right now."

"I'm a free man! No more hiding away or sneaking around. In fact, when we go to dinner tonight I'm going to walk down the street with you two not in my animagus form." Sirius preened.

"Pettigrew was also on trial and sent to Azkaban to receive the kiss for all that he has done. Madam Bones, who was in charge of both trials, was ashamed of her predecessor who carted off people to Azkaban without a trial, refused to use Veritaserum in trials that did happen, and let people off on their word only. Crouch Sr. did get a lot done during his term as Head of DMLE and was praised for his stance against Death Eaters, but he also didn't do many things he should of in his fanaticism of cleaning up the wizarding world at the end of the war. She plans to go over every trail and report from that era and have re-trials if necessary."

"That means that all of the Death Eaters who claimed to be under the Imperious will need to come in for another trial under Veritaserum." Sirius nearly cackled in glee. Remus looked at Sirius fondly before continuing.

"You also asked about the moon and how that went. Moony was sad to not have you nearby after you being there in July and August. He rather liked it, having the last of his pack all under one roof, even if you couldn't be in the same room."

"As soon as he turned, Moony was at the door waiting for your voice to come through. After about an hour he started howling for you. When that didn't work he then sulked in a corner for two hours before agreeing to play." Sirius snickered. Harry didn't know whether to join in with the snickering or feel pity for Moony. Remus calmly drank his tea as if the two weren't there.

"On a more serious topic,"

"Hey now!" Remus shot a look at Sirius for interrupting.

"As I was saying. On a more serious topic, Sirius and I have been going over the prophecy trying to think of a few things." At this Remus pulled out a scroll, that when unraveled showed the prophecy at the top and notes below it.

 **The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies...**

 **Thrice defied him – James and Lily, Frank and Alice, or another?**

 **Seventh month dies – end of July – Harry and Neville**

 **Marked as his equal – Scar? Magical power levels? Politically? Fame?**

 **Power the Dark Lord knows not - ?**

 **Dark Lord – Voldemort**

 **Neither can live while the other survives – partial life? Not living life to its fullest? One has to die for the other to live? Both need to make the most of life? Other?**

"Why are there question marks and so many options on some? Dumbledore made it sound like there was only one way to interpret the prophecy." Harry looked over the list of notes the two of them had made in the last two months.

"They are things we are not sure about. We want to look at all angles and aren't dismissing something just because it is what people have been claiming." Sirius said looking over his shoulder. "Like this power he knows not. We aren't really sure what that could be. Is it something you naturally have? Something you learn? Is your parseltongue ability a part of this? Can it be used in a way that gives you something Voldemort doesn't? Or does it come from something else?"

"Like magic sensing?" Harry asked.

"Magic sensing is an interesting trait but I'm not sure how that could help with fighting Voldemort. Why would you ask about it?" Sirius looked down at Harry before retaking his seat.

"I can sometimes sense strong magic. I've only recently learned about it." Harry shrugged.

"If you work on it you can possibly use it in defensive situations. I haven't heard of it used in an offensive sense before. But being able to use it defensively would take a lot of work and time. I'm not sure if you would be able to develop it quickly enough for it to be of use during the war." Remus thought out loud as he set the tea pot to start boiling water for more tea. "We can see about making a trip to Gringotts to have the goblins run magical scans to see if there is something you've inherited that could be of use. That will take a while to set up though."

"We can ask Bill to set up the meeting the next time he comes by to finish the new wards." Sirius interjected.

"New wards?" Harry looked at Sirius.

"After you left we had Bill stop by and strip the wards on Grimmauld Place. He is setting up new wards for us. As a Curse Breaker for Gringotts he has the knowledge to strip and place wards. Considering the Black family has been Dark Wizards for generations, there were curses tied in with the wards, which means that a normal warding team couldn't work on them. The new wards will make the area stronger and remove any negative magic from the premises into a vault specifically set up to deal with it. Once he is done we'll take a look in the vault for any items that can be salvaged. Anything that cannot be saved will be destroyed by the goblins."

"Molly and Arthur are just happy that he is working on something that keeps him in England, instead of him leaving for Egypt again. It doesn't hurt that Sirius is paying him extraordinarily well either." Remus sent Sirius a fond look of exasperation.

"I just wanted the best person for the job who can be trusted and I'm going to pay him what he should earn for this type of work." Sirius stuck his nose into the air at Remus's teasing. "Just imagining my ancestors rolling in their graves at a 'blood traitor' dismantling all of their hard work and removing decades of dark spells fills me with joy." Sirius wiped away a fake tear. Harry quietly laughed at his acting as Remus started pouring himself another cup of tea.

"What about Kreacher, your house elf?" Harry asked in confusion. "Won't he cause problems?"

"Kreacher was handed over to the goblins for use in the Black Vaults as a safe guard until he dies from old age. We are looking into getting a new house elf, one that isn't insane." Sirius explained with little remorse. "Remus wouldn't let me just kill the bugger."

"Just because he has a nasty temperament to anyone not your mother does not mean you can just kill him."

"Why not free him?" Harry asked.

"Because then we run the risk of him going to a Death Eater, bonding, and telling them about everything the Order has done and said in Grimmauld. It's not safe to free him." Sirius started muttering under his breath about crazy elves and crazy family.

"Between you two, Dumbledore, and Ryosuke I'm going to be made out of tea." Harry looked bemusedly at his cup as Remus filled it for a fourth time.

"Tea is both delicious and good for you." Remus promptly responded as he took a sip of his own.

"Speaking of this Ryosuke…. What to tell us a bit more about him?" Sirius leaned forward with a grin spreading across his face. Harry didn't know why or how to stop it but he could feel his face turn red at Sirius words and tone of voice.

"Well… like I mentioned… Dumbledore brought Joukriger in to protect the students…" Harry fumbled.

"A very smart move on Dumbledore's part. They are known for their neutrality and protections. He is basically claiming Hogwarts and its' students as a whole are neutral and not involved in the war. As long as they are there Hogwarts becomes neutral territory; free from the Ministry and War. Also, with them there I don't think you'll have to worry about anything bad happening on Halloween this year. Voldemort knows better than to create a situation where he will need to fight against a group of Joukriger. And I'm guessing that Ryosuke is one of the Joukriger that came?" Remus spoke up to prevent Sirius from embarrassing Harry too much. There was time for that at dinner that night.

"I ran into him on their first night in the castle." Harry admitted.

"Don't they mate for life Remus? I remember reading about them in our Magical Creature classes during our 7th year. There wasn't a lot of info about them but the passage mentioned that like werewolves and other magical creatures they mated for life. Most of the passage went on about their neutrality but I think one sentence said they had mates." Harry was surprised at how pensive Sirius looked trying to remember the information.

"They are one of the few magical creatures that have soul mate bonds and when they finally mate with someone it is for life. Most books focus on their neutrality in politics and the power they have to stay that way. A few centuries ago an Unchangable Law was created that stopped the various world Ministries and political positions from creating laws that affected Joukriger. Since then laws have had to be worded very carefully to make sure it does not include the Joukriger so that they stay neutral."

"That's our little furry encyclopedia! I knew you would remember more about them."

"After Harry mentioned them I went through the Black Library and read more about them, Sirius, as you should. You have a lot of old books in there that can hold useful knowledge. Like the fact that one of your ancestors was mated to one." Remus looked fondly over at his mate before shifting his gaze back to Harry. "Are you his soul mate, Harry, or is this just dating?"

"Um… We're…. I'm…" Harry stammered wondering if his magic will let him speak the truth this time. "We're soul mates." Harry whispered as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Congratulations Harry," Remus smiled kindly, "finding your other half is always something to take joy and pride in. I look forward to welcoming him even more now. Now tell us about some of the things you've been up to together." Remus relaxed back into his seat looking like he could spend hours sitting there talking, ignoring the outside world. None of them noticed as someone invisible stepped out the room to send a message before returning.

* * *

Ryosuke looked down at the letter he received from Harry's guard and at the Prophet that was sitting on the table in front of him at The Three Broomsticks. The topics of Harry's conversation were worrying and the wording of that prophecy could be an issue. However, Ryosuke planned to let Harry approach them first about the prophecy. There was no use in acting on it if Harry did not want them involved directly. There was nothing stopping them from helping him prepare though, if he was ensconced in the war. Ryosuke made a mental note to have Minato and a few others who have taught classes before during their training start helping Harry improve his magic sensing. It would be useful if Harry was able to adapt his magic sensing to allow him to use their spells.

Looking at the clock above the doorway Ryosuke noticed that Harry and his godparents were supposed to arrive in 10 minutes for their dinner tonight. He packed up his things, grabbed his glass of wine and made his way to the private rooms set up for their use tonight. He heard Minato and two guards follow him into the room. He let them check the room for spells, other people, and anything else that could cause issues as he sat at the round table.

Once seated he took another glance at the newspaper. On half of the front page was a picture of a grinning man with the caption **Sirius Black: NOT GUILTY**. Glancing down to the actual article he started reading it again.

 **In a closed trial held by the Wizengamot, led by the Head of the Division of Magical Law Enforcement Amelia Bones, evidence was brought to light leading to Lord Black's immediate freedom. After the trial Madam Bones spoke with a few reporters and had this to say:**

" **It is tragic that an innocent man was jailed in Azkaban for 12 years before he was given a fair trial. My predecessor, Bartemius Crouch Sr., was lax in offering fair trials. I am glad to announce that Lord Sirius Black is NOT and never was a Death Eater or working for You-Know-Who. Lord Black was not the Potter's secret keeper and thus not responsible for their deaths that night. Nor was he the wizard behind the death of 12 muggles." (More about Crouch Sr and his term as Head of DLME see pg 2. Re-printing of the Death of Muggles article see pg 3)**

 **After a few questions regarding what was going to happen regarding Lord Black and our Savior, Madam Bones came out with another shocking bit of news.**

" **Because of the unjust trial that Lord Black received those many years ago, ALL trials and reports from that time period will be looked at a second time; and most will be required by law to come in for another trial. If they don't come peacefully when summoned for trial they will be arrested by Aurors."**

 **Who will be summoned? Are there others from the first war wrongly accused like Lord Black? Will we see those who claimed to be under the Imperious Curse answering for their crimes? (More on the Imperious Curse and other Unforgivables see pg 4. For a list of those who claimed Imperious after the war see pg 5)**

 **All this author knows for sure is that Lord Black has been found NOT GUILTY of any of his crimes and the Ministry will be quite busy with these new trials. The first of the re-trials will start on Monday according to the Wizengamont secretary. It has not been released who will be the first to trial, but sources inside the Ministry have confirmed sightings of, the thought deceased, Peter Pettigrew. Is Pettigrew alive? Will his be the first trial on Monday? (More on Wizengamont Trials from the end of the war see pg 6. Famous Trials of the century on pg 7 and History of Pettigrew, Black, and the Potters on pg 9.)**

-Nanananananananananana-

AN: So the visit to Hogsmeade will be in 2 parts. Next chapter will be the dinner, don't despair! The prophecy was copied from the Harry Potter Wiki so that I made sure it was written correctly. The notes underneath are personal thoughts about what it could mean. If you want to add any to the list feel free to send those thoughts to me, the list is likely to change/evolve as everyone thinks on it more in the story.

Poll still open –

Joukriger paired with other Hogwarts Students?

Luna – 14

Neville – 14

Draco – 2

Ginny – 2 (-2 vote… so back to 0?)

Theodore – 2

Snape – 1

Reviews are greatly appreciated. So are favs, kudos, follows, pms, and subscribes. Flames or negative reviews are fed to the plot bunnies to keep them multiplying. I am now on both fanfiction and ao3 under the same penname and story title. Both locations will be updated together.

Eye color reveal:

Blue – happy/excitement

Silver – annoyance/?

Green – love/?

Red – anger/?


	10. Chapter 10

AN:

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

There will be more use of _words_ in this chapter, especially the beginning, where the Joukriger are talking amongst themselves.

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ translated below

 **Word** is written word

-Nanananananananananana-

*Knock Knock*

" _Kouteishi_ your _sukidoushi_ and his godparents are here. _Hitori ga ookamiotoko desu._ " The guard stationed outside of the room announced as he opened the door allowing Harry and his godparents to enter.

" _Daijoubu? Douchi ga?_ " Ryosuke looked up from the Prophet as Minato asked his questions, and glanced at the guard as the three entered. Harry entered first while a man who matched the photo in the Prophet, Lord Black, entered right after. The last one through the door looked physically older than Lord Black but his eyes looked as young as Black's did. Both were dressed well but it was a little obvious that Lord Black's clothing was made of a higher grade material. The other man must not be a lord, but hadn't been doing too bad for himself in recent years.

" _Toriaezu daijoubu desu. Chairo no kami no otoko desu._ " With a subtle nod of his head in the direction of the last man the guard then took up his position outside of the room again and closed the door. When the food arrived he would enter with it but not allow anyone else in for the meeting. Ryosuke got up from his seat and approached the group.

"Welcome _koi_. I've missed you these last few hours." Ryosuke hugged Harry and stole a quick kiss before he turned his attention to the other adults in the room, keeping one arm wrapped around Harry's waist. "Good evening gentlemen."

"Good evening. My name is Remus Lupin and this is Harry's godfather and my mate Sirius Black." Remus stuck his hand out in greeting. Sirius followed Remus's lead while searching for time to slip a prank into Ryosuke's pocket that won't go off until after they leave.

"Good evening Mr. Lupin and Lord Black, welcome. My name is Ryosuke. With me are my personal guards Minato and Naoya. You met Masuko at the door. I hope you pardon the use of guards but my uncles would not allow me to come without them." Ryosuke shook hands with both before gesturing everyone to grab a seat.

"Why would you need guards Ryosuke? And please, no Mr. Lupin or Lord Black, just Remus and Sirius." Remus spoke as they took seats. He noticed that while the one called Minato sat with them the other stayed standing against a wall.

"The _kouteishi_ always needs to be followed by guards. I also double as their chaperone." Minato spoke grinning at Ryosuke as he reached out to shake their hands.

"Chaperone!?" Sirius barked a laughed. "Our Prongslet needs a chaperone!" He started laughing even harder when he noticed Harry turn red. He started laughing so hard that he ended up leaning against Remus trying not to fall out of his chair.

"That word. What does it mean?" Remus, ever the scholar, asked ignoring Sirius who was still leaning against him. "I noticed use twice already."

" _Kouteishi_? Well, it would do for everyone to fully understand some things. As Ryosuke is our Crown Prince, he is required to have at least two guards within a certain distance. Since this dinner is a 'meeting of the parents' type of deal, his uncles thought it best for three of us to be here. Not only for his protection but for everyone involved. Especially since Harry wouldn't tell us anything about you two." Minato calmly explained to Remus keeping an eye on Harry's reaction.

"CROWN PRINCE!?" Harry shot up from his seat looking back and forth between Minato and Ryosuke.

"Harry, you didn't know?" Remus asked a little concerned and startled by his reaction.

"I figured he was important by the way they entered the first night, everyone surrounding you and your uncles, and how Dumbledore talked about him and his uncles specifically; but no one mentioned. Why would you keep something big like that a secret?" Sirius, no longer laughing, pulled a wide-eyed Harry back into his seat.

"It wasn't mentioned before now because I didn't want my position to affect your decision or thoughts on the bond." Ryosuke's black and silver eyes glared at Minato before shifting to brown and green as he looked back at Harry. "My position with the Joukriger does not change how I feel about you, Harry. Don't ever doubt that." Ryosuke grabbed Harry's hand and gave it a soft squeeze.

"I just don't understand why you would hide such a large part of you like that." Harry said dejectedly.

"I didn't want you to over analyze things because of my position. I have had people before, who knew of my position, insist that we were soul mates so that they could be with the Crown Prince. I didn't want that to be the way it was with us. I didn't want you to only see a prince when we were together; I just wanted to Ryosuke to you." Ryosuke admitted hoping that Harry understood. Harry, when he thought about it, did understand. How many have approached him in the past, just to be friends with 'The Boy-Who-Lived'? He could understand why Ryosuke didn't want it common knowledge that he was the crown prince; but at the same time he was disappointed that Ryosuke hadn't found a time to tell him himself.

"Moony, our Prongslet nabbed himself royalty. Prongs and Lily Flower would be so happy." Sirius looked dopey-eyed at Harry while elbowing Remus. They needed to do something to get rid of the tension in the room.

"Indeed Padfoot. Lily Flower's dream of prince charming might have just arrived, but for the wrong generation." Harry rolled his eyes at his godparents used to this sort of back and forth. It was their way to show that his parents would approve of his choices and give him a little insight to how they were.

"Is that the special edition of the Prophet?" Harry asked spotting the newspaper on the table, wanting to change the topic before he could fall into a funk during the dinner.

"It is. Congratulations, Lord Black, on your freedom. These last few years must have been trying for you." Ryosuke stated handing the paper over to Harry; receiving a small "Cheers" in reply. "The picture doesn't do you justice though."

"Flattery won't get you out of pranks, Ryosuke. You're welcome to continue trying though." Harry said before he started reading the article.

"I don't know about that. It's not every day I get to have a young fit person flirting with me. He is more than welcome to continue to try. My mate not like it though." The last Sirius whispered across the table as if he was letting Ryosuke in on a secret; making Ryosuke chuckle at the pout Remus sent Sirius.

"Unfortunately for you Milord, I don't think mine would either." Ryosuke winked back. Harry just rolled his eyes at the two before focusing all his attention on the article.

"Are they aware that Pettigrew is a rat animagus?" Harry asked as he finished the paper and set it on the table in front of him.

"Yes. During my trail it came out that I was one, the reason why we became animagus, and I had to register my form. From what Bones said to us as we were leaving, they will be keeping Pettigrew in a cell that stops animagus transformations until he is shipped to Azkaban for the kiss. He was to be transferred to the cell as we were leaving the Ministry." Sirius responded as he glanced at the paper.

"What do you turn into?" Minato looked at Sirius as if he was trying to see anything animalistic about him that could give it away.

"I turn into a grim." Sirius grinned proudly.

"A grim? A magical one or the normal version?" Ryosuke leaned forward in interest.

"Wizards and witches can't turn into magical creatures; though many have tried or insisted that their form was magical. Our magic wouldn't be able to handle the transformations to a different type of magical core. Non-magical creatures don't have their own core thus allowing for the transformation to happen without issues. Many magical creatures have their own magical cores that is not compatible with wizarding cores. Thus a wizard or witch could not become one. You also have the turned creatures, werewolves, vampires, etc where the wizard's core is infected like the body, changing the magical core a little. But wizards who are infected magical creatures don't have an animagus form." Remus shook his head. Sirius rolled his eyes fondly at Remus's instant professor answer.

"Great, now you jinxed me Remus. Watch, I'll turn into a magical unicorn now." Harry huffed crossing his arms.

"Actually, if you do turn into a magical version of the animal it wouldn't be because he jinxed you." Minato started. "There are many cases that humans who are soul mates to Joukriger transform into the magical versions of their animagus form after bonding. Before the bonding they could change many times into the normal version but after bonding they only turn into the magical version. Our scholars believe it is because of their magic bonding to a magical creature who uses their own version of magic that the transformations change. We haven't studied other creatures and their mates; but that is the case for Joukriger."

"That doesn't make it better." Harry pouted.

"Does the fact that the change isn't guaranteed make it better?" Ryosuke asked rubbing Harry's back.

"A little." Ryosuke leaned over gave Harry a peck.

"Don't stress over it. It will happen or it won't. There's nothing you can do to change it." With one last peck Ryosuke leaned back in his seat and took a drink from his glass of wine.

"He's right, Harry. There's no point in worrying. Now I think it is time for us to order food and drinks." Remus said looking around for some menus. "Are you old enough to be drinking wine?"

"Don't worry about the food. I hope you don't mind, but I ordered dinner for all of us when I arrived. The only thing you need to do is let Masuko, at the door, know what you want to drink and he'll place the orders for you. And, yes, I'm 21. There is no reason to concern yourself with me drinking." Ryosuke mentioned as he took another sip.

"Oh um… thank you." Remus and Sirius shared a look. "But I am allergic to a few things. I would much happier to order something to be safe."

"Yes, Masuko mentioned you were _ookamiotoko_ , I don't know the word in English. After showing you in he went to the kitchens to make a few change requests. He should be back at the door for your drink orders." Ryosuke and the others ignored Harry's spluttering at learning Ryosuke's age. Harry looked a little startled at the mention of his age before realizing that their 5 year difference really didn't matter when wizards lived such long lives.

"The word you're looking for _kouteishi_ is werewolf or werewolves for the plural, I believe." Minato added. Both of them ignored the worried looks on the human's faces.

"That doesn't bother you?" Remus asked guardedly.

"Not at all. Why should it? Joukriger and, what was it, werewolves have never been enemies. Nor can Joukriger be infected from them. I see no reason to create bad blood between our species." Ryosuke said, tilting his head to the side in confusion. "Unless, the werewolves wish to. In which case you won't be leaving this room alive." His eyes flashed red briefly before returning to brown. Harry noticed that Minato's and Naoya's also flashed red for a second, it was so quick that if he hadn't been facing the two of them he would have missed it entirely.

"No, no. I have no wish of starting a war. Nor do I have the power or authority to do so for the werewolves. There is no need to threaten or tense up. However, I would like to mention that currently there are many different factions among the werewolves of Britain. We haven't been unified for a couple of decades now. A majority are trying to stay neutral but the rest are split between the two sides of the war that is happening. I have no way of guaranteeing that those fighting on the Dark Lord's side won't try to start something." Remus hastily mentioned.

"I also wouldn't be very happy with you if you two fought." Harry added his two knuts. "And I thought you were neutral."

"We are in human problems, Harry. However, among magical creatures there are various alliances, enemies, etc. You don't have to worry about any enemies of ours coming for or entering your war though. Just over a hundred years ago an alliance was made that split us from the only true enemy of Joukriger. They were sent and given control of Asia, and were never to come to Europe again. We have Europe and are never to go to Asia. To do so would break the alliance and send our groups to war again. Something neither side wants."

"But then why do you fight?"

"For the same reason that werewolves and vampires do. Their creatures are instinctively repulsed by the other, which leads them to try to get rid of the other." Minato explained.

"Don't you remember, Harry? Vampires have mostly left for the continent. There are very few in Britain now. Potions that dull our senses also help keep us from fighting when in close proximity. The potion is easy to make with easily purchased ingredients so it isn't obvious if the purchaser is a creature or not. However, while the ingredients are easy to get the potion takes a long time to brew and doesn't last long. This also means that there is no worry of Voldemort gaining vampires on his side because they would be unable to work with the werewolves long term. This was all mentioned in your Third Year." Remus added in his teacher voice. During all of this Sirius got up and left a drink order with Masuko before returning with drinks.

Not long after Sirius brought the drinks back, Masuko entered the room with dishes floating behind him. A nice bowl of beef stew set itself down in front of Remus with a small plate of dinner rolls sitting next to it. Sirius was quickly distracted by the steak and dragon's ale pie that drifted down in front of him. His pint of Dragon's Ale also refilled itself.

Masuko passed over the plate of fish and chips to Harry, who immediately added The Three Boomstick's special vinegar on top. When he finished he contemplated just taking the bottle back to Hogwarts with him. The vinegar they serve there just wasn't as good. Ryosuke was delighted to try this location's toad-in-a-hole; he was rather disappointed by Hogwart's version of the dish the few times it was made. Hopefully this place served it well so that when he was craving it he could just come here. Ryosuke really hoped he wouldn't have to wait until he visited home to have it again. Lastly Minato was handed a shepherd's pie topped with an overabundance of cheese and potatoes.

As they started their meals they left the more informative topics behind for simpler options. There was no use talking about important topics when they were so focused on the food and desert before them. It wasn't until they were leaving that Ryosuke realized he had made it through the evening without being the subject of any pranks from Harry's godparents. He could only hope that all meetings between them went so well in the future.

What Ryosuke didn't know was Sirius was successful in slipping a prank into his pocket as they left. The prank wouldn't go off until Ryosuke returned to the Joukriger rooms after dropping Harry back at Gryffindor Tower.

-Nanananananananana-

AN: Finally the dinner and the end of the Hogsmeade weekend! I know this ending wasn't the best I've done so far. Maybe I'll do something nice for all of you next chapter to make up for it.

Poll still open – This is the **LAST** chapter that voting will be open for, then it will close and the top 3 voting counts will be paired up with a Joukriger. If I continue at my current pace the voting will be closed in 4 days. So get in your last votes!

Joukriger paired with other Hogwarts Students?

Neville – 22

Luna – 18

The Weasley Twins – 12

Draco – 9

Theodore – 6

Snape – 5 (Not technically a student but I might allow it)

Ginny – 2 (-2 vote… so back to 0?)

Eye colors revealed so far:

Blue – happy/excitement

Silver – annoyance/?

Green – love/?

Red – anger/?

(For those who are learning Japanese – I know there are a few – I have used different sentence structures and levels of politeness this time.)

 _Kouteishi_ = (皇帝子) crown prince

 _Sukidoushi_ = (好き同氏) soul mate

 _Hitori ga ookamiotoko desu_. = (一人が狼男です.) One of them is a werewolf.

 _Daijoubu?_ = (大丈夫？) Alright?

 _Douchi ga?_ = (どうちが？) Which one? (Note: for this and the above sentence Minato is using an informal structure because he is talking to someone below him in rank.)

 _Toriaezu daijoubu desu._ = (とりあえず大丈夫です.) Everything is alright for right now.

 _Chairo no kami no otoko desu._ = (茶色の髪の男) The male with brown hair. (Direct translation: tea colored hair. Haha)

 _Koi_ = (恋) love

Reviews are greatly appreciated. So are favs, kudos, follows, pms, and subscribes. Flames or negative reviews are fed to the plot bunnies to keep them multiplying. I am now on both fanfiction and ao3 under the same penname and story title. Both locations will be updated together.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Lots of different topics covered the last few chapters. Whew. This chapter will be looking at some of the other characters and what is going on with them. While it would be fun to just focus on Ryosuke and Harry I can't ignore the others. These do not necessarily happen on the same day or time but they all happen at some point during the Hogwarts weekend.

 **POLL IS NOW CLOSED.**

Neville – 25

Luna – 24

The Weasley Twins – 14

Draco – 9

Theodore – 8

Snape – 6

Ginny – 2 (-2 vote… so back to 0?)

Thank you to everyone who voted.

 **Winners by popular vote:**

 **~Neville in 1** **st** **Place**

 **~Luna in 2** **nd**

 **~The Twins in 3** **rd**

 **Therefore all who are paired with a Joukriger are:** Harry, Blaise, Luna, Neville, and the Twins

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ translated below

 **Word** is written word

-Nananananananananana-

Ginny leaned back against the pillar of on the covered walkway and looked out at the rain. This was her favorite place to think and read on rainy days. Few wandered outside so she knew that she would be left to her book and thoughts. With the way that the rain was coming down it looked like it could continue for the rest of the day; which meant that she could stay out here for hours without being bothered. She breathed in the fresh air that always came with rain as she looked over the garden below her. Her current location gave her a great view of the garden on ground level on this side and the green houses on the other. Being surrounded by so much natural green was relaxing. Although if her brothers knew how much she loved being surrounded by that color they would freak out and start a campaign to show her how much better reds and golds were. In her mind there was nothing wrong with the earthy, natural green that came from the outdoors. Especially since it was usually interspersed by other colors via flowers and trees.

Movement below drew her attention from her thought. It was her best friend Luna walking hand in hand with another person. They were just far enough away that Ginny couldn't get a good look at the person but it was easy to spot Luna with her radiant blonde hair and the way she seemed to float when walking. Ginny was startled to notice that wherever the two were, it wasn't raining. It was if they had a disillusioned umbrella above them keeping them and the area directly around them dry.

Ginny continued watching as the two sat below a tree, snuggled together, and talked. She smiled at the scene, happy that Luna was able to find someone who could care for her. With all of her unconventional thoughts it was hard for her to connect with people normally, especially romantically. Ginny really hoped that whoever this person was, he continued to treat her right. If he didn't there wasn't anywhere he could hide from her wrath. No one would get away with harming her friends.

Ginny waved her wand to capture this moment for Luna. The picture that came out of the spell showed the two of them snuggled beneath the tree, his arms wrapped around her. She would give her the picture tomorrow. For now, Ginny would leave the two alone while keeping an eye out for anyone who might intrude. No one would break up this moment of peace on her watch. She opened her book to where she had left off the other day and continued to read about Belinda the Beautiful and the Minotaur, the newest in the series from her favorite author, content in the knowledge that Luna was having a peaceful morning down below.

Ginny looked up from her book a while later to check on Luna and the male below only to see three 7th Year Ravenclaw females snickering to each other as they crossed the garden towards the two sitting below the tree. She set her book down and readied her wand to throw some jinxes if needed. Ginny watched as the male looked up from watching Luna make a flower crown and frown at something the girls said.

This was a time that Ginny really wished that she had one of the Twin's extendable ears on her, so that she could hear what was being said down below. It was easy to tell by their body language that the Ravenclaws were mocking Luna and flirting with the male. All Ginny could do was watch at the male tensed up before he was sending a bright yellow spell at the three.

Immediately all three started shrieking in horror when they looked at each other before running off. Ginny could only assume they were headed for the Hospital Wing or a teacher. She wondered what the spell was and what it caused them to see. Nothing was wrong from what she could tell, so it must have messed with their perceptions.

Ginny picked up her book and headed back inside. If she was lucky she would run into those Ravenclaws and do her own bit of magic for their continuous teasing of Luna. It was time that they learned to stop being bullies. It was good to know that the male would stand up for her best friend. If nothing else it added one point to the good column in her mind. She still needed to meet him to finally decide if his intentions were good or not; but today definitely saw points in his favor.

* * *

Draco settled into his chair in front of the fire and eagerly opened the letter he received from home that morning. He was sure it was a response to the letter he sent the other day about Blaise and he couldn't wait to read his mother's reaction to that bit of gossip. The letter of course came with a box of his favorite chocolates from the chocolatier in France and a copy of the Prophet which he set aside to read later. As he unfolded the letter he popped a chocolate into his mouth.

 **Dragon,**

 **I was pleased to hear that your studies are going well. Your Godfather has reported something similar in our talks. Your father and I do, however, believe that you can do better in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy and expect your scores to improve.**

 **Lord Parkinson paid a visit the other day to finalize the negotiations between our families. I realize that she is not your preferred choice but, considering the alternatives available in Britain, she is the most suitable. I will remind you that our family simply does not have the connections to France to procure a worthy betrothal from there at this point. I do not wish you to concern yourself with this, however, as your father has insisted on a clause which will ensure we are able to select you a better option while he works on his contacts in France.**

 **Indeed, your friend's choice of partner is worrying on many fronts. I am sure I do not need to remind you to not allow any of those Creatures to have that degree of familiarity with you. There is simply no helping some when they stray, and you may wish to place careful consideration of your future interactions with that particular acquaintance. Be sure that you don't fall as he did. Then again, his blood status was never as inscrutable as yours, and has always been somewhat debatable, so I do not think we can view it as any great loss.**

 **There are, however, other more important things that I wish to make you aware of.**

 **As I am sure you have read by now, my cousin Sirius Black was declared free and has taken up the mantle of Lord Black. A disgraceful thing, I am sure you will agree; however, as my Aunt failed to disinherit him before her death, there is nothing to be done in that regard. What is most concerning about this is that, after regaining his freedom, he immediately went to Gringotts and officially disinherited both your Aunt Bella and myself. The owl arrived this morning with this most unsavory news. It did not say anything regarding your status within the Black family, and therefore we can assume there is still a chance that when he dies you will gain the Lordship.**

 **Do not do anything to bring yourself to his attention. Hopefully he will forget and at his death our rightful inheritance will fall to you. Since he is with a Creature, he is unable to have his own blood heirs and as such, this means that the Lordship will pass to the next male with Black blood, you, unless he blood adopts or disinherits you. The copy of the family tree I brought with me to the Manor also shows that he has also reinstated your Aunt Andromeda, along with her Muggle husband and Half-Blood daughter, back into the Black family. Andromeda is, of course, too old to have another child and their daughter seems to be too busy playing Auror to have children of her own.**

 **Your father also received a summons from the Aurors to sit trial on Thursday. He wouldn't share with me what the summons said, but with what that article about Lord Black said, it is likely that there will be hard times upon us. I am making a trip to Gringotts today to make sure that, should anything happen to your father, the Malfoy vaults are still available to us.**

 **Your Godfather has been informed and is also fully aware of all salient details. He will be able to protect you there at the school. Let him know if any issues arise.**

 **Keep your head up in the coming days. No matter what anyone says, you are a proud Malfoy and Black. They will see their errors soon enough.**

 **Mother**

* * *

Neville eased open Greenhouse 4's door, arms full. Once inside he ducked to the right avoiding the vines of a Venomous Tentacula who was set to guard the doors to Greenhouse 4. It was the only Greenhouse off limit to the general student population. Only to be used by those looking for a career in the field and Professor Sprout. This Greenhouse housed a variety of common but dangerous and poisonous plants like aconite, Valerian roots, an adult Snargaluff tree in the back corner, and Fanged Geraniums, among others.

Neville was dropping off a package of supplies for Professor Sprout and planning to spend some time working on his own Snargaluff Tree which was still in seedling form. He was hoping that its first spikey branch started growing. It would be good to record something new with his plant. Sure, Professor Sprout had mentioned that the first branch took a while to form, but once it reached that stage of growth the first of the pods would start growing.

Neville carefully set his burden down on the back work bench for Professor Sprout to deal with later and picked up his Snargaluff from the shelf it was resting on. Turning around carefully he made his way to one of the tables in the middle of the room. As he set the tree seedling on the table he noticed another brunette male already working there.

"I'm sorry. I didn't even notice you there. What are you working on?" Neville said as he shifted his pot further down so as not to interfere with the plants that the other was studying.

"It's not a problem at all. I'm studying the differences of growth of the plants here compared to home." The stranger calmly replied running a hand through hair, pushing his fringe out of his brown eyes.

"Forgive me for asking, but does Professor Sprout know you are here? This greenhouse is used only by those looking to enter the field and barred from others." Neville nervously asked, fingering the side of his pot.

"Yes. I obtained her permission before entering. I often work with our healers and herbologists when not on duty. So she saw no issue with allowing me access to the greenhouses."

"Oh. Are you one of the visiting Joukriger?" Neville finally sitting down at the table while trying to figure out what the male was writing in his notebook. The book was being filled out with various images, arrows, and strange lettering that he couldn't work out but knew wasn't English or Arithmancy.

"I am. My name is Shoko and you're in Gryffindor, correct?" He said looking at Neville with brown eyes while continuing to write notes.

"Yes. I'm Neville. I'm usually in here on weekends or after class helping Professor Sprout with the plant care." Neville felt a blush start to form the longer he looked into Shoko's eyes.

"Then we'll get to spend a lot of time together. I'm glad." With a flash of a smile Shoko turned back to his plant and notebook. Neville pulled out the rest of his things and started on his own observation notes. However, he couldn't stop from taking side glances at Shoko while they worked; blushing each time he caught the other's blue and green eyes. He made a mental note to ask Harry what the colors meant.

* * *

"Blaise, I don't care how long we have been friends for, but if you and your paramour do not keep your hands and mouths off of each other while I am in the same room then I will hex both of you." Theodore looked up from his cards to glare at Blaise who just smirked back as Kazuma continued to place a hickey on his neck. Theodore could also clearly see that the hand that wasn't holding Blaise's cards was under the table in Kazuma's lap, moving back and forth lazily.

"Come now Theodore. There's no reason for you to be jealous just because you aren't getting any. Your turn love." Blaise directed the last to Kazuma who finally left his neck. With the air of someone who wasn't being felt up, Kazuma calmly selected a card to place on the pile before drawing another.

"Do not test my patience Blaise," Theodore ground out. "I've had to deal with a whiny yet smug Parkinson this morning and a ranting Draco this afternoon because of the news of their betrothal negotiations being finalized. I do not want to deal with a horny Zabini and mate this evening." Theodore closed his eyes as if praying for patience before turning his glare on Kazuma. "If need be I will hex both of you and leave you that way until morning."

"Kazuma, leave your _sukidoushi_ alone. You're both already in trouble with the generals because you two insist at doing it everywhere and getting caught. I'm not sure where your bouts of voyeuristic tendencies came from. Don't make them decide you need someone to chaperone you like Minato does our _kouteishi_." The other Joukriger in the room spoke up with an annoyed chuckle. "Knowing them, I would have to do that job, and while it would be fun to constantly shock you and drench you in water, I do not wish to be around you while you are horny and whiny that much."

With a sigh of regret Kazuma scooted his chair further from Blaise dislodging the hand that had been pleasuring him. Blaise pouted at him until Kazuma gave him a quick kiss in apology.

"Fine we will work on holding back in the presence of others. Can we finish this game quickly so that the two of us could head off?" Kazuma asked. Theodore narrowed his eyed before huffing and throwing his cards down.

"Blaise isn't going to stop behaving like a child whose broom was taken away until you two go at it like nugs. Therefore, this game is now over." Theodore picked up his things and left the room via the secret passage back to the Slytherin common room. He had better things to do that night than sit and watch Blaise and his lover go at it.

"Are you sure this is a great idea? _Kouteishi_ would not be very happy that we are helping them develop pranks when he specifically assigned us to them in order to stop them from doing further pranks." Koyo whispered to Junpei as they watched the twins add things to a cauldron in the middle of the room. Every few minutes one or the other would write down notes on what was happening. Koyo and Junpei startled at the loud pop from the cauldron and yell of pride from the twins. It sounded like they reached a new stage of whatever prank they were trying to modify today. Yesterday, Koyo watched as the two improved their Tongue-Toffees to be longer lasting with Junpei's pilfered Joukriger herbs.

" _Kouteishi_ didn't say anything about interrupting their studying. If he asks; how are we supposed to distinguish between Potion homework, prank creation, and individual study? Also he also only wanted them to not do pranks on us. Nothing was said about them doing pranks to the other students." Junpei replied with a shrug before he wandered over to Fred to see how he could assist in the process.

Koyo sighed and prayed that Ryosuke would be understanding about the situation; after all Joukriger always had a hard time turning down requests from their soul mates.

-Nananananananananana-

AN:

So a little look into the lives of some of the other students. I couldn't resist adding a little reference to Dragon Age. I just finished playing the Tresspasser DLC so it is very much in my mind right now. Don't worry, this won't turn into a crossover with DA. Also as a heads up I might not be able to update Chapter 12 in 4-5 days. It might have to wait until next weekend. This week is a little busy for me.

Greenhouse 4 plants: come from the HP Lexicon page

 _Sukidoushi_ = (好き同氏) soul mate

 _Kouteishi_ = (皇帝子) crown prince

Reviews are greatly appreciated. So are favs, kudos, follows, pms, and subscribes. Flames or negative reviews are fed to the plot bunnies to keep them multiplying. I am now on both fanfiction and ao3 under the same penname and story title. Both locations will be updated together.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ translated below

 **Word** is written word

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I did my best to be able to post this while it was still Halloween in most of the world. My little Halloween gift to you.

-Nanananaanananananana-

Halloween morning seemed to be teaming with more excitement than normal around Hogwarts. The Great Hall was filled with giant pumpkins from Hagrid's garden that were carved into jack-o-lanterns by the 7th year Charms class, as well as miniature bats made out of dust and soot that flew around the floating candles, thanks to the 7th year Transfiguration class. Even the candles were themed in oranges, blacks, and dark reds with bright yellow flames. Above the flames of the candles, barely seen from below, were spider webs stretched across the ceiling of the hall. During dinner those webs would start to glow adding to the holiday atmosphere.

However, everyone was not only excited about the feast that night but the first of the Death Eater Trials, named via the Prophet, was to happen that day. No one at the school knew who was to be the first tried. In fact, this excitement grew and even overshadowed the dinner feast by the time lunch rolled around.

Many Gryffindors were sure that they would see everyone in Slytherin knocked down a peg or two as their parents were declared Death Eaters and sent to jail, or even Kissed. Ravenclaws decided to view this as an academic case study in Ministry Law and subsequently checked out all of the books regarding laws, trials, history that they could find in the Library. Hufflepuffs busied themselves with talking to everyone, and Slytherins didn't show a thing; pissing off Gryffindors who saw this as proof of their guilt.

Between breakfast and dinner Professors tried to keep the students focused on their studies instead of the trials that were to start, but often found themselves breaking up fights between houses in the hallways; mostly between Slytherin and Gryffindor.

At the start of dinner the students were surprised to see owls flock to the hall bringing, what they soon learned was, a special edition of the Prophet. Hermione opened hers to see across the top, instead of just the normal 'Prophet', **Death Eaters' Trials: A In-Depth Special Edition**. And in-depth it was.

Each article within this special edition of the newspaper gave details into each person on trial, including quotes from the trials themselves. All of the articles started off with the name of the person on trial and the verdict. Followed by personal information, financials, which school and house they were in, their job, and what they were accused of doing. If the person turned out to be guilty further information was provided on what other deeds and information came to light during the trial. Many times leading to other trials.

The first two trials to happen on Monday were for former-Slytherins Evan Rosier and Avery Senior, both declared guilty. Many were shocked to see the Rosier name because, according to Crouch Senior during his interrogation of Karkaroff, Rosier was supposed to be dead; killed by Auror Alastor Moody. However, according to the article Avery Senior refused to show for his 9am trial and when Aurors went to his house at 9:30 that morning to arrest him and take him in, both were caught gathering dark items and trying to flee.

Many brash Gryffindors took this first edition as further proof that all Slytherins were evil and during the feast some started loudly proclaiming who they predicted would also show up in the papers as guilty; even going as far as to contemplate if any of their classmates would be called in for trial. Slowly, some Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws started to join in by the second day.

It wasn't until the third day, when a shock went through the wizarding world, which caused those proclamations to stop.

The third day of Trials sent a wave of confusion throughout the students of Hogwarts, who had a hard time believing something other than house stereotypes that had been around for generations. Two Half-Blood, former-Hufflepuffs, were put on trial and declared guilty. The only thing that would have been more shocking was if they were Muggle-Born.

It turns out, according to the article covering their trial, that even though they both fought in the first war, they had never been taken to trial because of their status of Half-Bloods and Hufflepuff. No one had wanted to believe that kind, unassuming, pushover Hufflepuffs could be Death Eaters; so they were often overlooked as victims whenever they had been found in Death Eater Raids. Thus they had no trials, nor were they ever thought of as being Death Eaters. The only reason they were put to trial this time was because someone from the trials on Tuesday mentioned having followed directions from the two in seven different raids against Muggle-born families.

During their trials the former-Hufflepuffs were quoted with spouting Pureblood propaganda, and how the Dark Lord was working on a way to destroy their Muggle blood so that they too could become pure. They spoke of how the Muggle-Borns and Muggle raised Half-Bloods were destroying the wizarding world and needed to be stopped. Both during their trials bragged about how their first kill was of their muggle parent followed by their magical parent who, they proclaimed, were blood traitors for fornicating and mixing their genealogy with Muggles.

Now the students of three Hogwarts houses didn't know what to think. If two Hufflepuff Half-Bloods were Death Eaters, who else was? Wasn't it only supposed to be Purebloods and Slytherins with the odd Ravenclaw? Many didn't consider Pettigrew, a Gryffindor Death Eater, worth mentioning besides calling him an outlier. After all Gryffindor was the house of future Aurors and Hufflepuffs were pushovers. Everyone knew that the Potters were Gryffindors and the Dark Lord from Slytherin. It was obviously a situation of Light versus Dark. But with Hufflepuffs in the Death Eater ranks many illusions and generations of bigotry views were being shattered.

With this upset in the House and Death Eater stereotypes, Gryffindors clung to each former-Slytherin reveal there was. Life became even more difficult for the Slytherin students when Lucius Malfoy, Oiduvious and Yvvia Parkinson, Crabbe Senior, and Goyle Senior were declared guilty and sentenced to 30 years in Azkaban each, with the possibility of being Kissed in the future.

Whispers started being spread about that it was only time until certain current students would be called in for trials or taken out of Hogwarts and sent to another school outside of the country in the hopes of them being spared. Rita Skeeter was very quick to write an article about the decline of the power of Purebloods. No Pureblood family, including those declared not-guilty and those not brought to trial, were safe from her scrutiny.

Slytherins no longer walked the halls alone but had taken to traveling in groups of five or more with many upper years walking with the younger years for safety. Prefects and Professors also increased how often they patrolled the halls, hoping to decrease the number of fights happening. Joukriger even had to step in now and then to separate students who resorted to hand-to-hand fighting instead of flinging spells.

All Houses were now in the running for lowest amount of House Points in a century.

Somehow, no one was surprised when Lady Zabini and her current lover, some Lord from Italy, were declared not-guilty after being brought in by Aurors for missing their trial time because of sex. In fact, when that edition came out Blaise Zabini could be heard laughing all throughout dinner.

* * *

While most students focused on the drama brought about from the trials and gossiping in their free time about the outcomes, Harry spent a lot of his free time, when not with Ron or Hermione, in the Joukriger rooms. Specifically, spending time with Ryosuke doing a variety of things, most of the time working on his homework and then spending the rest of the time chatting.

During these chats Harry learnt more about Ryosuke and his family, like the fact he had a younger sister who was looking to apprentice to a chef. Ryosuke also learned more about Harry's time at Hogwarts over the years and how the wizarding world often slandered him in the papers whenever something was happening; something Ryosuke swore they would never be allowed to do again.

One Friday afternoon saw both of them curled up together on the round chair in front of the fire in Ryosuke's room. Minato had been leaving them alone more and more often as they proved they would just rest and work. Harry was leaning back against Ryosuke's chest while writing his Herbology essay, one of Ryosuke's arms thrown over his shoulder keeping him close. A few minutes later Ryosuke finished up reading a status report from some of the Joukriger stationed permanently in Hogsmeade before relaxing back into the pillows behind him. He shifted his arms to wrap behind Harry's waist as Harry continued working. His fingers softly drew small designs against Harry's waist as he continued to gaze into the fire, slowly drifting off.

As Harry finished his essay, he set all of his school supplies down on the floor and shuffled back against Ryosuke more. With a soft grumble, Ryosuke shifted tossing his free arm over Harry's waist and pulled him in closer, slotting Harry to fit against him. Harry couldn't help but smile when he noticed that Ryosuke looked close to falling asleep.

"Do you want to take a nap before dinner?" Harry asked running his hand through Ryosuke's hair, pulling back a little to get a better view of his face. He dropped a kiss on Ryosuke's nose at the murmur his question received. "That's not an answer Ryosuke." Harry started to pepper kisses across Ryosuke's face trying to get him to actually answer.

He was starting to get bolder in kissing Ryosuke as he became more and more comfortable with what was between them. He knew that Ryosuke had been holding back for a while now, letting Harry get used to everything, but Harry was ready for a little more than chaste kisses. At 16, Harry wanted to experience the passion and be overwhelmed like he was earlier that year when Ryosuke first arrived. He wasn't quite ready for sex yet, but definitely wanted more than what was currently going on; which needless to say was very little.

"I said, yes a nap would be nice. But if you keep that up we won't be napping." Ryosuke said, tightening his hold on Harry.

"What if I'm not ready for a nap yet?" Harry ran his hand up and down Ryosuke's back feeling his muscles shift as Ryosuke pulled him in tighter, aligning their bodies from hip to shoulder. "What if I wanted to do something different with our time alone? It's not often that Minato doesn't at least check in on us while we are here." Harry slid one hand along Ryosuke's arm up to his neck.

"Harry." Ryosuke moaned before tilting Harry's head up for a deep kiss. It didn't take long for Harry to open his mouth to Ryosuke's probing tongue, eagerly sucking on the muscle when it entered his mouth. Harry whimpered as Ryosuke pulled away a few minutes later, both of them trying to catch their breaths.

"I don't want to push you, Harry." Ryosuke rested his forehead against Harry's eyes closed tight as he tried to hold himself back.

"You're not. I want this. I'm not ready for sex, certainly, but does that really mean we can't do other things? Please." Harry gazed into the dark green eyes above him and knew that Ryosuke wanted this as much as him. Harry moved one had around and placed it on Ryosuke's chest. "Teenagers snog all the time. I see my classmates walking around with hickeys and talking about who is snogging who. Why can't I have that with you? If people are going to talk about me I want it to be because I just got done snogging you, not because of whatever rumor the Prophet decided to run about me."

" _Kami_ , how can I deny you when you ask so nicely," Harry reached up and pulled Ryosuke down fusing their lips together, cutting off whatever else Ryosuke might have tried to say. He didn't want Ryosuke to try and talk him out of this. He wanted to be snogged within an inch of his life, and he wanted it now.

Ryosuke shifted Harry onto his back and lightly rested his body over him while running one hand up to grab hold of Harry's hair. In this position it was easy for Ryosuke to slip one of his legs in between Harry's. Harry released a soft moan as Ryosuke settled against him more. He loved the feel of Ryosuke laying above him, especially when Ryosuke slotted their hips together letting him feel all that Ryosuke had to offer.

With short tugs Ryosuke was better able to angle Harry's head to bring the most comfortable position that also locked their mouths even closer together. Harry grabbed hold of Ryosuke's shoulders as he submitted to the mind-blowing kisses. Without that hold keeping him grounded in reality, he was almost worried that this was a dream. There was little doubt in Harry's mind that he would not be leaving Ryosuke's rooms tonight without a hickey or three on his body.

-Nananananananananananananana-

AN: Some more main-pairing smut for all of you. And the trials are under way!

The chapter is a bit shorter than usual and shorter than I would have liked; but I needed to get this info started before I move on with the plot. Sometimes you just need a filler chapter to relax with. More smut, possibly some steamy scenes in the future, as well as training, Gringotts, and Dumbledore (not all in one chapter or in that order).

Next chapter is much better, I promise.

The Parkinson's first names were taken from a name generator because I was unable to find actual first names for them.

 _Kami_ – (神) god

Reviews are greatly appreciated. So are favs, kudos, follows, pms, and subscribes. Flames or negative reviews are fed to the plot bunnies to keep them multiplying. I am now on both fanfiction and ao3 under the same penname and story title. Both locations will be updated together.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ translated below

 **Word** is written word

-Nanananananananananaana-

Harry sighed as he climbed the stairs to Dumbledore's Office. He had received a message from Sirius that yesterday asking him to be ready to go to Gringotts that afternoon but he was hoping to avoid the Headmaster in this whole process. Harry had talked to Professor McGonagall last night about using her office but a missive from Dumbledore this morning at breakfast stopped that plan.

He was a bit annoyed that Dumbledore insisted on him leaving from his office for this when it didn't seem like he was doing anything about the students fighting in the halls. Harry was sure that Dumbledore would want to know the reason for the appointment and would want an update on what Harry was doing for the war effort; but he had nothing worth sharing. 'Why couldn't he just focus on what was happening in the school because of the trials instead of why I have an appointment with Gringotts? The other Professors must be going insane by now with the amount of detentions they're giving out.'

"Harry, it's good that you are here on time." Dumbledore called out before Harry knocked on the door. "Would you like a cup of tea before heading out?"

"No thank you, sir. It's best not to keep Sirius and Remus waiting." Harry gestured to the fireplace.

"Well before you go to this appointment with Gringotts I wanted to ask you a few questions, my boy. Sit sit." Dumbledore waved Harry into a seat.

"I don't want to be late sir."

"Nonsense. Now Harry, Sirius wouldn't say, but what is this appointment about? It's not safe to be leaving school grounds for frivolous things." Dumbledore steepled his fingers before his face.

"I'm not sure, Professor, but I'm positive that Remus wouldn't let Sirius pull me away from school for no good reason." Harry shrugged. 'Maybe if I answer vague enough he'll let me go sooner. I don't want to keep the goblins waiting.'

"Well, I'm not sure it is safe for you to be leaving school grounds with such minimal protection; so I have asked Order members Shacklebolt and Tonks to go with you three to provide extra cover. You remember them, don't you?"

"I'm sure that isn't need Professor. I'll be flooing to Grimmauld and then straight to Gringotts. I won't be in the public at all."

"Never the less, they shall be here momentarily and shall accompany you. It wouldn't do to provide Voldemort with any chances; especially with how things are going with his Death Eaters." Dumbledore said. Harry could do nothing but wait for the two to arrive. Five minutes, and three deflected questions later the floo flared green admitting Kingsley Shacklebolt followed by Nymphadora Tonks.

"Sorry for the delay Headmaster Dumbledore. Things are busy at the Ministry and sneaking away for these types of things is getting harder and harder." Kingsley said as he vanished the soot from his robes. "Ready to go Mr. Potter?"

"Yes sir." Harry ground out tired of this already.

"Good. We'll bring Mr. Potter back soon Headmaster. Tonks, you first." Knigsley said with a nod to Dumbledore. Harry watched as Tonks vanished back through the floo before following behind.

"Kingsley, I want a full report of their meeting when you return." Dumbledore stated stopping the man before he could step into the fireplace.

"Of course sir." With that Kinglsey followed after Harry.

* * *

Harry exited the fireplace at Grimmauld and only saw Remus in the room. Looking around he confirmed that neither Tonks nor Sirius were in the room.

"Where's Tonks?" He asked looking around to the doorway wondering if they were waiting in the hallway.

"With Sirius. Come away from the fireplace Harry. Who's following you?" Remus motioned him to his side.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt. Dumbledore wanted the two of them to go with us." Harry moved over to stand next to Remus, noticing that he looked rather serious with a hint of anger.

"Alright. Please let me handle this." Before Harry could ask what was wrong the fire flared green again and Kingsley stepped out.

"Why is Dumbledore insisting on us having guards?" Remus asked as Kingsley straightened his robes, giving him no time to settle from the floo travel.

"He is concerned for Mr. Potter's safety as both his Headmaster, magical guardian, and the leader of the Order."

"There is no need for guards and technically Dumbledore no longer holds the title of guardian in regards to Harry. Madame Bones transferred it all back during Sirius's trial. We will be flooing directly into the office of the goblin we are meeting and back. The meeting was also strictly for the three of us. The goblins won't be happy with more people coming." Remus calmly explained. "I think it would be best for you to return to the Ministry Auror Shacklebolt."

"I can't do that Remus. I don't know about the guardianship but as a member of the Order I must make sure that Mr. Potter is safe. Dumbledore's orders."

"As I have already explained to you Auror, he shall be safe with his Godfather, and your services are unneeded and unwanted. Do I need to make a call into Madame Bones? I'm sure she would be interested to know why two of her top Aurors were not at their posts." Remus argued back, stressing Kingsley's title.

"Dumbledore won't be happy about this Remus. You know he only has Harry's best interest at heart."

"That's fine, he can have them as much as he wants. However, this matter doesn't concern him as Head of Hogwarts nor as Head of the Order. Therefore, he can be as unhappy as he'd like. You're a good man Kingsley, don't make this difficult." Remus spoke more kindly.

"On your head, Remus. Don't say I didn't warn you" Kingsley sighed as he vanished back through the floo. All Harry could do was stare during the confrontation.

"What was that all about?" Harry stared up at Remus in shock.

"We'll explain later. Let's join Sirius in the kitchen and head off. It would be bad to keep the goblins waiting." Remus steered Harry out of the living room and down the hall to the kitchen. Inside they saw Sirius and Tonks holding a discussion with grim faces.

"He's not going to like it Sirius." Tonks hair turned black as she continued her argument.

"I don't care cousin. I'm going to handle things with my Godson, as his official guardian, as I see fit. Dumbledore has no reason to butt in in this matter and you know it." Harry could hear their conversation clearly now as they entered the kitchen.

"As a member of the Black family I'll keep quiet, but you know he's going to create a fuss." Tonks warned as she moved to the kitchen fireplace, hair changing back to bright pink. "Wotcher Harry. Have fun with the goblins." With that she too disappeared through the floo.

"What's going on? Why did Dumbledore assign a guard? And why are we sending them away?" Harry looked between the two men.

"Dumbledore has been trying to convince me that he should still make all decisions regarding you and what you do; despite me being declared free and your guardian by the Ministry. You may not be aware of this, but he made himself your magical guardian after I was imprisoned. With my freedom restored the Ministry returned all guardianship statuses to me. Usually I wouldn't mind his advice; but I'm not about to let him in on any Black or Potter Family business. Which, today's trip to Gringotts is considered. Now, if we don't leave now the goblins will not be happy; and trying to do business after pissing off the goblins is a bad idea." Sirius shuffled Harry towards the floo.

"Bill should be on the other side when you arrive. The floo address is 'Gringotts, Shalbrytol's Office'." Remus said passing Harry some floo powder.

"Bill will be there?"

"Yes, as the Gringotts employee who set up the meeting he shall be there. However, he will not be able to talk about what occurs in the meeting or what it was set up for. If asked, he can only say that there was a meeting; even under Veritaserum." Sirius explained coming up behind Harry.

"It's like the Fidelius Charm. It is a secret he cannot share. Something the goblins set up to protect their customer's interests. Now, if you don't go we will be late." Remus gestured to the fireplace again. Both men watched as Harry stepped through and shouted his destination. Moments later, they followed.

* * *

"Forgive us for almost being late Shalbrytol. We had a few unwelcomed guests that wouldn't leave." Sirius said as he stepped through and started ushering Harry and Remus into seats before the goblin. Sirius nodded his head to Bill who, after a short greeting to Harry and Remus, had made his way around the goblin's desk to stand next to him. As an employee of Gringotts his role today was to make sure that Shalbrytol had what he needed, fetch what wasn't available, and to take minutes of the meeting for future viewing by anyone involved.

"I do hope you managed to get rid of them and no unwelcome surprises will interrupt." Harry gulped at the mad grin spreading over the old goblin's face. It seemed to Harry that he wouldn't really mind an interruption despite his words with that grin.

"Of course."

"Then let's get started shall we? You are here today to have an inheritance test for Mr. Potter."

"Correct." Remus spoke up even though Shalbrytol hadn't spoken it as a question.

"Very well. We shall need Mr. Potter to cut his left hand and collect the blood in this bowl." Shalbrytol stated as he placed a pewter bowl in front of Harry along with a dark red tinted dagger.

"How much?" Harry asked picking up the dagger. As he tilted the dagger back and forth, light sparkled off of the edges but seemed to be swallowed up in the middle.

"Until the wound heals." Was his reply.

"This type of dagger has a property that heals the cuts made after a certain amount of blood has been shed. Don't worry. You will only provide the amount the ritual needs." Sirius explained. "It's perfectly normal for an inheritance test."

With one last look at the blade, Harry cut a line across his left hand and made sure all of the blood fell into the bowl. Once the bowl was half full the wound closed up as if it was never made and Harry passed both objects back to Shalbrytol. The humans watched as a few drops of various potions were added to Harry's blood in the bowl turning the liquid from red to gold.

Shalbrytol pulled out a roll of parchment paper and set it into the mixture still rolled up. After ten minutes all of the gold liquid had been absorbed by the parchment and Shalbrytol took it out of the bowl. Handing the bowl and dagger back to Bill, Shalbrytol very carefully rolled out the parchment onto his desk. Everyone leaned forward to read what was written.

 **Harry Potter**

 **Son of James Potter and Lily Potter nee Evans**

 **Heir to House Potter – first degree of separation**

 **Possible Heir to House Black – thee degrees of separation**

 **Possible Magical Inheritances:**

 **Magical Sensing - Potter**

 **Magic Adaptation – Potter/Black**

 **Soul Mate Bond – Black**

 **Animagus Ability – Peverell**

 **Parseltongue – Riddle**

"So what does all of that mean?" Harry asked reading over the parchment again.

"The 'one degree of separation' refers to the fact that you are eligible to be heir because you inherited it directly from your father. You just need to go through the paperwork to make it all legal magically. 'Thee degrees' refers to the fact that James's mother was a Black before she married into the Potter family. Meaning you might be able to get that inheritance if a male with a stronger connection to the family doesn't come forward or if I declare you my official heir." Sirius mentioned as he sat back into his seat glancing over at Remus.

"Why does it say 'possible magical inheritances'?"

"That is because you may or may not get those abilities. The parchment also shows where those abilities came from in your family. I believe the Peverells and Potters merged many generations back to become just the Potters, hence those family names. Black is from your grandmother and it seems that Magical Adaptation comes from both families. I'm not sure about Riddle though. That we will need to research." Remus added.

"How do I tell if I get the ability or not? We already know about three of them." Harry asked.

"It all depends on if you practice them or not Mr. Potter." Shalbrytol spoke up. "If you do not study or make use of these abilities they will not manifest. Mr. Weasley will see that you are provided with a list of books to help you get started with those abilities, Mr. Potter. I suggest if you wish to have them that you read those books before doing anything foolish." Bill stepped forward with a smile directed at Harry and handed Sirius a list of books to buy.

"I would suggest owl ordering these to be delivered to Harry with the list of spells on the top placed on them; if you want them to stay secret and away from prying eyes." Bill said as Sirius and Remus looked over the list.

"We shall. Thank you Bill." Remus said. "You must come by for tea sometime this week." Bill nodded his head at the invite.

"Now, if there isn't anything else you gentlemen want, I have another meeting."

"We shall take our leave Shalbrytol. I shall send you a missive latter to discuss the rest of the Black family holdings." Sirius said as all of them left their chairs.

"Certainly, Lord Black." Shalbrytol waved them away. Bill made his way out the door that lead back to the main section of bank as Sirius, Remus, and Harry floo'd back to Grimmauld with the inheritance parchment and the list of books.

* * *

" _Kouteishi_ , you wanted to know when everyone got here. We're just missing two that are almost here." Minato said as he knocked on Ryosuke's door interrupting Harry and Ryosuke's talk about Harry's latest Defense class. The two of them were once again curled up on the round sofa in front of the fire. This time Ryosuke had Harry seated in between his legs leaning back against him.

"Good." Ryosuke pushed Harry up from their relaxed position, crawled out from behind him, and started leading him out of the room.

"You're having a meeting? Should I leave?" Harry asked making sure to grab his bag as they entered the common room area.

"We are having a meeting. A few other Joukriger have met their mates here and we want to make sure you all know each other and that there won't be any issues that can't be fixed. If you haven't noticed, we Joukriger are fairly close and that includes mates; even if you don't like them you need to at least be able to be around them without problems occurring." Ryosuke stated as he moved them to the couches in front of the fire. Harry noticed that people were already sitting there conversing; including Neville and Luna. While he was shocked to see the two of them the third student on the couches caused him even more surprise.

"Zabini?" Harry asked as Ryosuke sat down next to the Joukriger sitting with Neville.

"Potter." Was the calm reply.

"Hello Harry." Neville smiled at him from around his mate.

"Hi Neville. Luna." Harry slowly sat down trying to get his mind wrapped around who was in the room.

"We are just waiting for Koyo and Junpei." Minato said as he sat down in a free armchair. Moments later both were walking into the room followed by Fred and George, sending Harry's mind reeling even more. As everyone found seats and got comfortable conversations slowly died down.

"Now just to make sure everyone is aware of who everyone else is I'm going to make quick introductions for everyone." Ryosuke began once it was quiet. "I'm Ryosuke as most of you know, with me is my mate Harry. Then we have Fred and George Weasley, mated to Koyo and Junpei. Minato, who had to leave his mate at home. Kazuma and Blaise Zabini. Naoya and Luna Lovegood. And to complete our circle, Neville Longbottom and Shoko.

"I know that some of you come from different school houses and might not be friends, but it is our hope that you can at least get along a little bit. We would like to have a few lessons with all of you together so that, as our mates, you can understand how we fight, if need arises. Minato will be in charge of these classes, hence his presence here now. This can only work well if there are no issues between any of you."

"I've never had any issues with the Gryffindors here or the Ravenclaws in general. Ignoring my current Slytherin friends' and acquaintances' alliances; my family has been neutral for a while so I don't foresee any issues cropping up." Blaise spoke up shrugging, knowing that the others were already friends and he was the odd one out; a Slytherin to boot. "I see no reason in involving myself the war either. Which should mean little conflict going further." Harry looked askance at Blaise, he had heard rumors that the Zabinis were neutral in all wizarding wars but he couldn't really understand how someone could pull off that amount of indifference to what was happening and why. Surely they agreed with one side more than the other during wars.

It took a few fumbling starts and prolonged moments of silence between the students, but soon everyone was able to relax and hold conversations without house affiliations creating awkward moments. A few hours later Harry noticed that the others were starting to gather their things to leave. The first one to draw his notice was when Blaise pulled Kazuma to the door to a semi-private goodbye; that definitely wasn't staying PG. Harry tore his gaze away and glanced back at Ryosuke who was in conversation with Neville, Minato, and Shoko.

"I should head out as well." Harry said sitting up from his relaxed position against Ryosuke as Blaise finished kissing Kazuma good night at the door and left.

"I'll see you tomorrow then after your lessons." Ryosuke shared a short kiss with Harry picked his school bag and left, waving to the others still in the room. He briefly startled to note that Luna had already left at some point and Naoya was conversing with the 'Terror Pairs', Minato's new name for the Twins and their mates.

Harry left the Joukriger rooms moments after Blaise. Looking left and right down the hall it took him a moment to figure out which direction Blaise had left in. Turning a corner, Harry caught sight of the Slytherin.

"Zabini! Hey, Zabini, wait up." Harry called out running up to the other 6th year.

"What can I do for you, Potter?" Blaise looked at the other wondering why the Golden Boy of Gryffindor was stopping him. He couldn't think of a reason considering how little they interacted before tonight and how well tonight went. As Harry shuffled in front of him he raised his eyebrow.

"Um, I was wondering if you could help me with something."

"Asking the scary Slytherin for help. I'm listening." Blaise folded his arms as he leaned against the wall behind him. 'What could he possibly want with me?'

"I don't care about what house you're in, but not here." Harry looked around the hall. Blaise did as well and noted that they were the only two in the hall, it was even empty of portraits and suits of armor.

"The hall is empty, Potter, where else would we talk?" Blaise looked back at him.

"In here." Harry stated, spotting an old classroom. Once both were in the room he turned around and locked and silenced the door.

"I'm still waiting to hear your request Potter." Blaise said as he sat on the desk in front of the room watching Harry fidget. He continued to fidget long enough that Blaise contemplated just leaving.

"This cannot leave this room." Harry finally blurted out blushing.

"Okay." Blaise leaned back on his hands.

"Everyone's heard the rumors about you and Kazuma," Harry looked up at Blaise with determination, "and I need some help."

'Well this will be interesting.' Blaise thought raising an eyebrow.

-Nananananananananananana-

AN: I know I said no more references to DA:I but I needed a goblin sounding name that wasn't used over and over in stories. You know what they are. But a couple of different things going on in this chapter, moving the plot forward.

A reviewer mentioned Harry's connection to the Black family so I hope this helps showcase this a little. Another asked about how Draco could still be a possible heir to the Black family if Narcissa was disowned. Sirius didn't disown Draco (mostly because he forgot about him – 12 years in Azkaban had to have had some effect on his memory) and had to reinstate Andy, Ted, and Tonks individually (not all together) back into the family after Andy was disowned; hence how Draco can still be eligible. Yes, this will come up again later at some point.

I'm using the idea of "6 Degrees of Separation" to show inheritance eligibility. An interesting concept about how everyone in the world is only separated by 6 people. Look it up if you haven't run across it before.

 _Kouteishi_ = (皇帝子) crown prince

 **If anyone is interested and willing to help me** write a few sexual scenes (ie more than what I have currently provided to all of you via smut) send me a message (pm on fanfiction or email via profile on AO3). In the message please include a link to where I can see something that you worked on or copy and paste it into the message (any fandom), why you would like to help, and maybe what ideas you may like to do. This is just to get an idea of your writing and thought style. I have a few things in mind but have not written that kind of scene before so am looking for some help in writing some for this story.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. So are favs, kudos, follows, pms, and subscribes. Flames or negative reviews are fed to the plot bunnies to keep them multiplying. I am now on both fanfiction and ao3 under the same penname and story title. Both locations will be updated together.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ translated below

 **Word** is written word

-Nananaananananananana-

Harry wandered into the Gryffindor common room before dinner and spotted Ron and Hermione by the fire.

"Hey guys." He said once he reached them, moving to sit on the couch next to Hermione.

"Hey mate." Ron looks up from the chess board he's contemplating.

"Good evening Harry. How's Ryosuke?" Hermione put a bookmark into the book she had been reading and set it aside. "We usually don't see you until dinner. Everything alright?"

"Yah. I just wanted to hang out with you two this evening instead. He's working with his uncles this evening anyways. Minato's been complaining that the Joukriger here are getting complacent with how little is going on; so they'll be spending the next few afternoons until dinner time doing mock fights."

"Those could be interesting to see. I read somewhere that they have a different way of working with magic. I wonder if they would be willing to do a demonstration." Hermione shifted on the couch to face Harry more. "You went and saw Sirius and Remus this last weekend didn't you? How are they?"

"They're great. Sirius had made me an appointment with Gringotts to check for inheritances. Bill helped set it up."

"Mom mentioned something about Bill being around more often in her last letter. She's been overly excited that he's back in England, talking about if only Charlie would return too. I don't think Bill's told her that he plans to transfer back to Egypt for more work soon. Not much he can do here." Ron looked up after making a few moves.

"Sirius said he was having Bill help work on Grimmauld. It looks like it will all be done by the Christmas Holidays."

"That would be great Harry. Does that mean you'll spend the holidays with them? Will Ryosuke go with you? Have you two talked about it?" Hermione swept some of her hair out of her face.

"I haven't really thought about, Hermione. It seems natural that I would go to Grimmauld but I never considered what Ryosuke would do."

"You should really talk to him about it. Also ask Sirius if he could join all of you there. It's worth thinking about."

"Mom's expecting all of us home for the holidays. If you go to Grimmauld we'll likely be able to meet up a few days during the break with floo and all. What about you Hermione?" Ron leaned back in his chair, abandoning the game he had going.

"Mom and Dad are thinking that we should go to France again this year. If we do, I'll be sure to get everyone something. By the way, Harry, you never did tell us how the appointment went?"

"The appointment itself was fine. The part before that was weird." Harry looked into the fireplace.

"What happened?" Ron leaned forward. "Bill didn't mention anything wrong from his side, not that he could say much. He just mentioned that it was a normal test, nothing strange."

"Well Dumbledore…"

"Professor" Hermione interrupted.

"Professor Dumbledore required that I leave from his office even though I had already made arrangements with Professor McGonagall to leave from hers."

"That's strange. Did he say why?" Ron asked.

"He wanted to know what the meeting was about. Sirius had only told him that he set up an appointment that couldn't wait. Professor Dumbledore really wanted to know what and why the meeting was happening. He then insisted that Kingsley and Tonks accompany me. I had to wait in his office until they arrived."

"I could see how he thought you might need extra protection. Especially with the trials going on. He wouldn't want to create an opportunity for anyone to attack you off of school grounds." Hermione tilted her head thinking.

"Except we were only going by floo, which I told him, there wasn't need for more people. Anyway I got to Grimmauld only to find Remus waiting for me. Tonks had gone through first and he said she was with Sirius and had me wait quietly." Ron looks like he does when playing chess against a strong opponent, listening to intently to Harry.

"When Kingsley came through Remus confronted him and threatened to tell Madame Bones where he was if he didn't leave. Apparently Professor Dumbledore has been trying to make decisions for me even though Sirius has guardianship of me. Sirius argued that unless it has to do with school or the Order, Dumbledore had no power. After some more arguing, both Kingsley and Tonks left and we then went to Gringotts."

"That is weird. Why would Professor Dumbledore try to give you extra guards if you were only traveling by floo and dealing with family things?" Hermione wondered aloud while giving up on getting the boys to use proper titles, for now.

"Sirius was right. Technically Dumbledore should only be able to affect decisions made regarding school things. Inheritances are closely guarded family secrets, he has no right to know about them; even if he did have guardianship over you the goblins would likely deny him access. They're finicky like that. Bill says they only care about the work that has been processed through Gringotts, not the Ministry."

"Can you elaborate, Ron?" Hermione pulls out spare parchment and starts making notes. "The Ravenclaws still have all of the Law books checked out. So I haven't been able to continue my research into Gringotts' laws."

"Oh well. When someone is declared a godparent it's made official through Gringotts first because vault access, money decision making, wills, etc need to be changed to reflect the godparent. Guardianship is done through the Ministry. Some things, like limited vault access, are granted to guardians who are registered through the Ministry instead of Gringotts but most things are only available to direct family members and godparents. So, even if Dumbledore was considered your guardian before Sirius was freed, he really has no legal right to anything you do with Gringotts. If Kingsley and Tonks had gone with you the goblins would have likely kicked them out. I'm a little surprised they allowed Remus there; unless there is a mate clause in their law…" Ron seemed to drift off in thought.

"See things like this, common knowledge to wizard-raised people but not to muggle-raised. They really should have a Wizard Class elective available. After all, there's a Muggle Class; even if what they teach is outdated information." Harry looked fondly over at Hermione.

"Your next project?"

"Don't be silly Harry. I've been trying to get Professor McGonagall to create that class for 3 years now. Unless there is a change in the Board it is unlikely to happen."

"But there will be changes now, won't there? With Malfoy Sr. in Azkaban for being a Death Eater, among other Purebloods that used to be on the Board, won't there be open spaces to be filled?"

"Unfortunately not. Spots on the Board of Governors for Hogwarts are hereditary. So unless a family line completely disappears there won't be a spot opened for someone new. Once Draco is old enough he will be sitting on the Board. It is likely that in the meantime his mother is making decisions in the Malfoy name." Hermione huffed.

"Considering it isn't something we can work on right now, I suggest we head to dinner." Ron put action to words as he stood and started heading for the door. "All this thinking is making me hungry."

"You're always hungry." Hermione and Harry spoke in unison as they followed behind Ron.

* * *

"Alright, Potter, did you bring them?" Blaise queried as he entered the old classroom that Harry and he had been meeting in after classes. This would be the third 'lesson' after Harry had approached him for help. The first 'lesson' was easy enough, so much so that Blaise wondered why Potter even bothered asking. Then the second question came and it was very quickly obvious to Blaise that just explaining, without anything visual, would not be enough for Potter to get it. Hence, this third day of 'lessons'.

"Yes. But I don't get what these have to do with what you're helping me with." Harry set a pack on the desk between them as Blaise came closer.

"Really Potter? Considering what you asked for help with, you can't make the connection? What are you, a First Year? Ice cream or popsicles would have been much better." Blaise rolled his eyes as he opened the pack and drew one out.

"I'm not a First Year. I just haven't done this before. And I couldn't get either from the kitchen or owl ordered in time for today." Harry blushed picking up one as well.

"There is really little difference between this and the actual thing. This is just happens to be smaller." Blaise said as he unwrapped his. He waited until Harry did as well. "And one is warmer than the other."

Harry looked down at the sucker in his hands, glanced at the Slytherin once more, before popping it into his mouth. He tried to do what Blaise had described the day before. It surprised him how willing Blaise was to help him but he wasn't going to look a gift unicorn in the mouth.

"Merlin, you won't get anywhere like that. It's going to take forever at your rate. Here, watch." Harry looked as Blaise first ran his tongue around the sucker a few times before slowly inserting into his mouth, lips pressed tight against it smoothly moving with the candy. He could feel a blush starting to form as Blaise hollowed his cheeks and moved the candy back and forth while sucking on it. Blaise alternated between sucking and licking the sucker. "Ice cream cones usually work better because you can get the right length but the idea is the same."

"Um," Harry gulped, "yah."

"Try again." Blaise went back to sucking on his sucker normally watching as Harry tried to copy what he had just did. "Don't concentrate so much, you tend to tense up when you do. Most people enjoy this but if you stay tense then it won't be much fun."

After watching Harry try on a few different suckers, Blaise couldn't help but to sigh in frustration. 'If only he would agree to Kazuma helping out. I'm sure seeing it in person would be more helpful to him actually learning what he wants to try. Prudish Gryffindor.'

"Kazuma could really help." Blaise tried for the fifteenth time.

"I don't your boyfriend here during this. I've heard the gossip about when you two start. I have no wish to watch." Harry blushed even more at the thought of another being aware of what Blaise was trying to teach him. Blaise could only sigh in frustration.

"Well I think you have the basics down. You only need to work on technique, which if you won't allow me to bring Kazuma in to show you different types then you are on your own in figuring it out. The best way for you to learn it is by actually doing it with Ryosuke, or continue practicing with the suckers. Don't forget what we talked about the last two days as well, do what you like and makes you happy. In either case these lessons are done, I'm going back to my boyfriend where I can actually do something fun. Good luck Potter." With that Blaise picked up the box of suckers and started to leave the room.

"But what about…?"

"Trust me Potter. If you can't get to where you're doing the first two, you won't be doing anything about the last. Also, he's most likely going to do everything for that." Blaise rolls his eyes. "No if you're done I'm off to meet up with Kazuma."

Harry could only watch as Blaise left the room. He looked down at the sucker still in his hands and at the three Blaise left on the table. 'Definitely practice more before doing anything.' Harry thought, sliding the still wrapped candy into his school bag trying to get rid of the blush staining his cheeks.

"Might as well go to the library and see if I can find Hermione. Maybe she'll let me borrow her History of Magic notes so that I can finish that essay." Harry spoke to the empty classroom before making his own way out of the room.

* * *

Dumbledore paced in front of his desk. Kingsley's report of what happened at Grimmauld coupled with the various letters from the Ministry regarding the work he was doing as guardian of the Potter heir had him vexed.

If he had known that his own power would decrease so much and so quickly by letting Sirius go forward with his trial, he would have stalled it even more. With Sirius legally declared guardian again, Dumbledore lost the Potter vote guarantees he was hoping for in the Wizengamont and on the school Board. He knew Sirius would likely vote for his changes, most of the time, but he would run them all by Harry first; which would just slow down the process and possibly mean Sirius would vote against them. Sirius and Remus were both breaking off on their own and taking this guardianship responsibility too far for his comfort. If he didn't find a way to keep them following his directions fast, then he would need to find another way to gain back guardianship.

He really needed to find some way to keep some control over the votes and what happens with Harry in order to ensure that the war continued to go in his favor. Sirius just doesn't understand all of the ramifications his actions have already caused. He was losing more and more power in the Ministry while Amelia Bones gained more and more as she continued to run her trials and the Aurors efficiently, without his input. That was one chess piece he was never able to control. Bones had refused his offer of a place in the Order during the first war and often ignored his suggestions of how to do things whenever they talked. She was too headstrong.

And now, with all of the changes that she has started with her trials, Dumbledore was losing his small hold over Fudge. The Minister was now going to Bones for advice on what to do in the Ministry instead of him. He needed to figure out what the next move was going to be in order to make a preemptive counter.

He hated chess games where the pieces refused to do as they should. They should all just let him continue controlling the board, after all he is looking out for the Greater Good of the British wizarding community.

-Nanaanananananananananaana-

AN: Whew. This chapter had me worried for a bit. I wasn't really sure what I wanted to address here and what would go better elsewhere. There are a lot of things going on in this story and while I can't show all of it at once I can do my best to put pieces in a semi-organized way. I'm trying to keep things grouped by similar times, as you may have noticed.

No Joukriger this chapter outside of being talked about. But I have brought Ron and Hermione back. I hope people don't keep hating my version of Hermione. I'm trying to keep her personality similar to cannon but a bit better. I'm surprised I haven't had complaints about Ron… But in any case, please don't automatically hate them because of cannon/other stories. It's easy to fall into that and I didn't want to do so here in my writing of them.

If there is any interaction/scene that you really want to see let me know. I may or may not write it out but I'd love to know what you hope for. If I get enough little ideas I might do another secondary character chapter, a lot of you really seemed to enjoy it. I have one or two thoughts right now but if you have any let me know. Also, the other request for help is still open.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. So are favs, kudos, follows, pms, and subscribes. Flames or negative reviews are fed to the plot bunnies to keep them multiplying (ie they help me with what I am missing). Please let me know if something doesn't make sense, it's how I know to add a scene with more info in it.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ translated below

 **Word** is written word

I am very proud of this chapter and I hope everyone enjoys it.

-Nanananananananananananana-

"There you are Draco. I've been looking all over for you. Now that we are betrothed we really should sit down and plan how we are going to have our wedding ceremony." Pansy sat down on the couch interrupting Draco and Theodore's conversation. As she sat practically on top of Draco, she pulled a giant stack of wedding magazines from her expanded bag. A few she flipped through before dropping them on Draco's lap. "We should really start by choosing the venue for the wedding followed by our outfits. Malfoy Manor will be an acceptable location for an outdoor wedding, with your albino peacocks and spacious gardens. If we do it there we'll want to use the Parkinson family colors for the decorations, to show the solidarity in our two families joining. If we do that, then our robe colors can be whatever we come up with that will complement our two families."

"Excuse you Parkinson, but Draco and I were in a confabulation." Theodore narrowed his eyes at the girl, interrupting her. "Cease your palaver and kindly remove yourself."

"And don't return." Draco muttered scooting over so that he was no longer pressed against the witch. With a sweep of his hand he also dislodged half of the magazines that had been pulled out, scattering them to the floor.

"Theodore, you might not be able to understand the process of betrothal because you will never get a contract, but we need to start discussions of the wedding in order to have everything done in time." Pansy looked down her nose at the other Pureblood, ignoring Draco for the moment. "Therefore, this conversation takes precedence over anything you might wish to discuss with him."

"Nothing is intransigent, Parkinson. Now do as Theodore said and extract yourself from our proximity." Draco said trying to get her to leave. He really didn't want to deal with her and that bloody contract with everything else going on. Draco really needed to find another Pureblood to contract with so that he could rip hers up.

"What are you talking about Draco? You know I have a hard time with your French words. Anyways, I got the confirmation from my parents that everything was signed. We'll get married and then fight against our parents' wrongful imprisonment. We'll have two sons and at least one daughter so that both of our families will have direct male heirs and some daughters to join to other lines in order to strengthen our Pureblood status. Mother and I have been planning everything so you will need to contribute very little to the initial process. Now, we'll be doing the wedding just after graduation and then use the summer for our honeymoon abroad before you start work in the fall and our first child arrives. Of course the first male heir will go to the Parkinson line and the second to the Malfoy, as per the contract."

"Parkinson, do you not understand the situation? Ha! It is highly likely that the Malfoys put in a stipulation that if someone better came along, you would be discarded like a Muggle. And there are innumerable better options." Blaise sided up to the chair Theodore was sitting in grinning at the look of revulsion on Pansy's face. He loved provoking her and poking holes in her delusions.

"Like you would know anything Zabini. Sleeping with creatures and dirtying your family line." Pansy sneered clutching a few magazines to herself, as if their presence could ward him away.

"Better a magical creature than you. He at least looks completely human. Is that house elf in your blood I see or troll? Would that be one generation back or two?" Blaise sat on the arm of Theodore's chair despite his protest. Theodore snatch his arm back before it could be sat upon and leaned against the opposite arm.

"How dare you!?" All of the wizards winced at the shrill.

"Do go away Parkinson. None of us want to consociate with you." Draco waved her away looking contemplatively at Blaise. With a huff of frustration Pansy left with one last glare at Theodore and Blaise, as if it were them sending her away and not Draco. After all, Draco wouldn't have sent her away if those two weren't there. He was just putting up a front; that and his language were something she would need to fix once they were married. 'No more hanging out with Neutrals and Blood traitors. It wouldn't do for him to start sympathizing with creature lovers.'

"What do you want Zabini?" Blaise raised a brow at Draco.

"Judging me for my choices Draco or upset that I found a great life partner before you? And if it is the first option you really don't have room to talk or are you ignoring the fact that all Purebloods are only 'pure' in the sense of magic only partners? If I remember correctly the Malfoys have been with Veela multiple times in the past and the Blacks with Ancient Elves before they went extinct? Your family may not have joined with non-magicals, but that doesn't mean that they haven't been with creatures." Draco looked away at being called out by Blaise.

"Nothing in five generations." Draco muttered to the fire.

"You also know that I wasn't stretching with Parkinson, her line is not free from creature blood. Despite how much they try to deny it."

"Don't tell me that has been why you have been distancing yourself from Blaise." Theodore narrowed his eyes at Draco as he shifted forward in his seat. "Really Draco, I thought you were working on that. Don't tell me that you're listening to your mother on this. Is that what her letter to you was about? Everyone knows the Blacks are all a little insane, your mother particularly in how she insists on ignoring the past generations and creatures." Draco sniffed still looking away from both of them.

"What happened to not making the same mistakes as our forbearers? Or are you still too entangled in the Malfoy propaganda?" Blaise said standing from his perch. "Apparently we should have removed you more often from your Manor this summer for things other than investigating the Parkinson family tree." Theodore and Blaise watched as Draco seemed to struggle to come to a decision.

"Leave it for now Blaise." Theodore murmured as he slightly pushed Blaise away from him and his seat. "Go spend time with Kazuma and we'll catch up later." With a wave of his wand Theodore sent the spilled magazines into the fire, no reason to keep trash.

With one last searching look, Blaise nodded and left the common room. Kazuma did mention that he found something new for them to try out the next time they got together, might as well do it now. Theodore was also much better at getting Draco to think for himself instead of falling back on generations of Pureblood thinking passed down through the Malfoys. During the summer between 4th and 5th year Theodore did break away from his family's views and become neutral. Hopefully the next time Blaise ran into Draco he will have figured out what he was going to do and, preferably, they could go back to their association.

* * *

Harry pulled Ryosuke up from the couch and over to his bed as they kissed. 'This time I'll try what Blaise mentioned,' he thought as he helped Ryosuke remove his shirt. Each time Ryosuke lost his shirt Harry got distracted by looking over his upper body, but this time Ryosuke quickly brought Harry's face back up and continued their kissing as they reached his bed. Gently Harry fell back onto the bed and pulled Ryosuke down with him. Laying back against the covers Harry sucked Ryosuke's tongue into his mouth and ran his hands along his spine. He could do this for hours but he knew that if he wanted to put into action what he had been practicing he would need to move things further than just taking off shirts and snogging.

Harry reached to up run his hands through Ryosuke's hair before tangling it in his fingers as Ryosuke ran one hand up his chest under his school uniform and the other clenched at his hip, fingers slipping below the edge of his trousers and boxers. He let out a puff of air as Ryosuke detached their lips and started peppering kisses from his chin down his neck. Harry couldn't help but tighten his hold on Ryosuke's hair and gasp in pleasure at each sensitive spot he found.

With one last nip at Harry's neck Ryosuke pulled back enough to work Harry's shirt open. Once his path was no longer obstructed he continued to places kisses on the body beneath him, hands settling on Harry's hips to hold him down, moaning each time Harry unconsciously pulled at his hair and shifted. Ryosuke made his way back up after placing a hickey just above Harry's left nipple. As he directed Harry back into kissing him Ryosuke slotted their hips together, bringing their erections and naked chests into contact.

With a gentle rocking motion Ryosuke settled himself further against Harry, moaning in approval as Harry slid both legs up around his hips letting them fit closer against each other. Harry spread his legs more and moved one to hook over Ryosuke's while starting to slide one hand down from the tangle in his hair to his lower back. The other hand Harry moved under Ryosuke feeling for the front catch on his pants; all the while rocking up into Ryosuke each time he moved.

Ryosuke pulled back in concern when he felt Harry's whole body tense up and stop responding. Moving up to perch on his elbows and knees, drawing his body away from Harry, Ryosuke searched Harry's face for signs of why he tensed. 'Did I go too far? But we've gone this far before. I'm pretty sure he was moving to undo my pants as well.'

"Harry? _Koi_? What's wrong?" Ryosuke became more concerned when Harry didn't reply and his eyes grew glassy. "Harry?!" However, no matter how Ryosuke tried to get Harry to respond his mind was trapped within a vision that he couldn't remove himself from.

'I'll need to send someone to contact the werewolves again. Remus wasn't successful last time. Who could be sent to deal with them? I wonder if Charlie Weasley has gotten anywhere with convincing the other Dragon Tamers to come to the UK and join our fight? Could he control the dragons to fight for us?' Dumbledore was working at his desk figuring out what plans he could put in place for his next move with the Order when Snape burst in clenching at his arm.

"Severus, is he calling his followers?" Dumbledore stood up from behind his desk.

"No, he had announced plans for a raid on a muggle village, with a few of his newer followers since he has lost members of the Inner Circle, but it seems something has gone wrong. He is transferring pain down the marks, possibly as punishment to those sent on the raid specifically but it is going to everyone. That is if the raid is even going on tonight." Snape fell into a chair before Dumbledore gritting his teeth and clenching his arm tighter.

"Do you know where the raid was to take place or who was in it?"

"He kept all information secret, telling the all members individually where they were to go and when. He only mentioned that one was to happen to everyone. No details on who, when, or where. Possibly trying to keep followers and his plans from being discovered by the Ministry. One of his newest rules is that everyone is to come to meetings and raids already masked and to stay masked the whole time. When he is singling out a member now he charms their robes grey and they are to step forward to be addressed. No one, besides who was told individually, knew when, where, or what day the raid was to happen."

"Do you need a pain potion?"

"Later. You need to send Order members out to search for the raid. It is the only thing that makes sense for this pain."

"Go get a potion Severus and recover in your cambers tonight. If he calls for you to report in, come see me after with what you know. Leave everything else to me, my boy." Dumbledore wandered away, dismissing Snape from his office. 'I wonder if Harry got a vision of this one and could provide more information. Is this the night of the raid or is it something else? Will Tom try to break his Inner Circle out of Azkaban right away or let them sit in discomfort for a bit as punishment?'

"Fawkes, I need you to take a note to Harry for me in the morning after breakfast if he does not come tonight." Dumbledore wrote a summons for Harry on a spare piece of parchment and handed it to Fawkes. "Wait until breakfast has let out unless the boy comes here tonight. We must see if he had a vision about this from his connection to Voldemort."

-Nananananananananananananana-

AN: So I'm a little mean to Pansy…no the words are not French but Pansy wasn't taught well (in this story. I've read many where she is smart and things work well but that type of Pansy won't work for this story.). I used a thesaurus to come up with some of the words the boys were using. It seemed like a great way for them to make themselves sound better than her. You might have noticed they stopped using those harder words when she left…

Voldemort makes his move and has such bad timing! Cock-blocking Harry and Ryosuke. Shame on him. How will Ryosuke react? Will Harry try to sweep it all under the rug? Will Dumbledore send the Order out to search for this raid or will the village just be a tragic loss? Will Draco change from his family's Dark affiliations? Will he find a way to break off the betrothal with Pansy?

 _Koi_ = (恋) love, used as a term of endearment

Reviews are greatly appreciated. So are favs, kudos, follows, pms, and subscribes. Flames or negative reviews are fed to the plot bunnies to keep them multiplying (ie they help me with what I am missing). Please let me know if something doesn't make sense, it's how I know to add a scene with more info in it.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ translated below

 **Word** is written word

My deepest sympathies to my French Readers and any who were visiting. I hope all of you and your families are safe.

 ****WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!****

 **There is talk about rape, killing, torture, etc during the 1** **st** **PART of this story.**

If you wish to avoid this section please skip to the area following the " **-** "

-Nananananananananananana-

"Tell me again how you failed in your mission?" Voldemort leaded back in his throne after holding his followers under crucio. He raised a hand to run along Nagini when she circled around the back. His red eyes narrowed on the eighteen Death Eaters standing between him and more of his followers. He had not called everyone in for this, only the most recent to join. Those standing before him had just come back from a raid with little to show for it. "It was simple. Go to the little Muggle town, kill everyone, burn the houses, and place my mark in the sky."

"My Lord. When we got there everything started as it should. As discussed just before we left, we split up at the first houses and took control of the Muggles inside. We then had them go to another house to start rounding up everyone while we went to a third to take control of more. As each house emptied we set them aflame. Once we got all of the Muggles in the town center we started the highlight of the raid." The one on the far left spoke out, possibly trying to save himself.

"'Highlight of the raid'?" Voldemort looked down at Nagini as she slithered her way to start moving amongst his followers. Voldemort always got a thrill at watching her intimidate his followers.

"Yes my Lord. We have all heard that during Death Eater raids you are to torture the Muggles before killing them by first having them torture each other. It was easy enough to have some of them grab knives and start in on each other. We had parent force themselves on the all of the children multiple times while also casting various torture spells on the old. Many of the parents, while fucking the children, would cut lines on the children. One even, after releasing inside a kid, shoved a knife up them a few times. The older and very young Muggles died very easily, almost too easy in some cases. Some," the follower very obviously shot looks to six of those in line, "decided to join in on taking pleasure from the Muggles as well."

"Hehe, watching as the women screamed in horror as we fucked their babies was mesmerizing. I'm sure Lady Bellatrix would have loved the sound. Their cries of horror and anguish filled the night sky. Oh, and the ones who chocked to death on our cocks were especially pleasant. Pounding deep into their throats and at times holding still as their throats tried to force us back out until they died of suffication." The Death Eater who spoke up nudged his fellow debauchers laughing.

"I'm still waiting for your explanation on why you didn't follow orders." Voldemort sent a crucio to all standing in the line. He stopped the curse after three minutes. It wouldn't help if he made his new followers even more incompetent.

"Sorry my Lord. As I was saying, we were in the middle of this when more muggles showed up in their metal contraptions with lights flashing. Houses were destroyed by fiendfire and over half of the Muggles from the town dead, another third almost dead. The new Muggles opened fire with metal objects before we could take control of them. Whatever these objects fired out injured those it hit. We sent up your mark, killed those we could, and left before we sustained more injuries."

"So instead of going in and killing everyone quickly like you were told, you took your time, were there longer than you should have, lost control of a Muggle who obviously called for help, ran before killing everyone there, and returned here to drip blood on my floors. Meaning you are incompetent and failed in your mission."

"My Lord, easily 8 out of 10 Muggles were killed before we left." Voldemort couldn't stand to hear any more of their explanation and sent all of them under the crucio spell for another two minutes each.

"Next time I send you on a raid you WILL follow your instructions. You are dismissed. Get back in line." Voldemort looked over his followers. How he wanted to kill those that went on that raid. It would fill him with such warmth to be able to kill incompetent followers again; but with so many being sent to Azkaban because of those meddlesome trials, his ranks were down to lower level recruits and a few Inner Circle members. He would need to find a way to get his Inner Circle at least out of Azkaban before they were given the Kiss. He needed their intelligence, money, and ability to follow orders. This was the second raid since those trials started that has ended incomplete. If he had known that those new followers were incapable of taking over muggles before they themselves were killed, he would have killed them himself. Maybe he should send someone to kill Bones before his next raid.

* * *

As Harry was finally released from the vision he became aware of a multitude of voices buzzing about in the background. He had never been trapped for so long within a vision before, he was glad to have missed the actual raid and only see the meeting at the end considering some of what they spoke of doing.

Around him Harry could make out Ryosuke, Minato, and a few others. No matter how much he tried to concentrate on what the voices were saying he was unable to separate them enough to make coherent sentences. Harry struggled to bring himself back to full awareness. He had never had such trouble coming out of a vision before when receiving snippet of a vision from Voldemort. However this time it was more than a snippet. It felt like Harry was there for the full thing. 'Was I out for hours? The vision felt like it went on and on and on, with no end in sight. Did Voldemort mean for me to see it?'

"Harry, _koi_ , are you awake?" Harry tried to respond but couldn't seem to get his voice to work.

"Can you move anything?" At Minato's request Harry tried to move various parts of his body. He felt relieved when he was able to shift his arms and fingers. For some reason he still couldn't open his eyes or speak.

" _Koi_ , one of our healers has arrived to look you over and see what is wrong. His magic might feel a little strange at first. Try not to fight it." Ryosuke ran a hand over Harry's hair protectively.

"Hello Harry. My name is Satoshi. I am a Joukriger Healer and have been working on the bond between you and Ryosuke. Since I am already familiar with your magical signature I volunteered to come when Ryosuke sent a call for help. I will be scanning your body for injuries, diseases, or anything that might explain what happened. After that I will then work on bringing you to full awareness and capabilities. During that second part you will gain more control of your body. I request that you stay as still as possible until I am done."

Harry, unable to show his understanding, just waited for something to happen. He wasn't quite sure what Satoshi meant about scanning or whatever, but there wasn't anything he could do now. He also wasn't used to this sensation after a vision, it felt like his body was under a full-body bind.

It didn't register at first but slowly Harry started to feel a warmth spread throughout his body starting from his extremities and moving inward. The pleasant warmth moved along his body heating it as if he was relaxing in a bath tub. By the time his whole body was covered he felt like he could just float away from how relaxed he felt. Strangely, the warmth disappeared from everywhere at the same time as if it was just fading away.

"No physical injuries or illnesses. However, there are foreign substances in his blood stream that are decaying very slowly. I would guess they will be completely and naturally removed in another year or two. They are not harming anything be being there so I won't try to remove them. There also seems to be a link centered in his mind that stretches out to another. The link has been there for years. Removing the link would be a long process but doable if he would like to have it removed." Satoshi consulted the sheet that had popped up during his scan.

"Is it harming him in any way? Can you tell who the other person is? What does the link do?" Ryosuke asked from Harry's side.

"Those are questions that cannot be answered until Harry is back to full capacity. I will now work on the second part." Once again Harry felt Satoshi's magic flow through him. This time it was as if tiny tingles were running up and down his body waking one muscle after another. When the tingles disappeared Harry had no problem opening his eyes and moving his body. The first thing he noticed, besides the fact that he was looking at Ryosuke's ceiling, was Ryosuke leaning over him.

"Hey."

"What happened?" Harry could now see the concern written across Ryosuke's face.

" _Kouteishi_ , let's sit him up, get him a drink, and then ask him questions." Minato spoke from Harry's other side as an arm was slipped behind his shoulders lifting him up. Once he was sitting up in the bed he was handed a cup of water. Looking around Harry noticed that Ryosuke's room had been filled up by not only Ryosuke, Minato, and Satoshi but Ryosuke's uncles were sitting in front of the fire with another.

"Harry, could you please explain what happened? We got a little information from Ryosuke before I was called in to look you over. This was a few hours ago." Satoshi spoke up bringing Harry's attention back him. "Ryosuke said that you were… strengthening your bond… when you froze up and did not respond to anything. Minato was brought in and could not get you to respond either. A call was sent in to our _Ijutsukan_ and I came." Harry felt a blush starting to form but was thankful that Satoshi was trying to be discrete.

"How much do you understand about this war and those involved?" Harry asked looking around the room. Ryosuke sat down on the bed next to him while the three at the couches made their way over. Harry noticed that the man that came over with Suzaku and Suzaki looked like both of them and Ryosuke but with short black hair.

"Hello Harry. I'm Ryosuke's father, Yuusuke. I wish I was greeting my son's mate in better circumstances." The older man said from his spot at the end of the bed.

"Hello sir."

"You asked what we knew of the war. When your Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, approached us for help it was specifically to protect this school and its students from having to participate in this war. He explained that the war was started by the parent's generation and that no student should be forced into participating. However, as he was a leader of one faction of the war he was not positive that the school would be left out of the fight. I agreed to send a portion of our warriors to this school to protect the students from the war. I sent my two best generals and Ryosuke along. This would be a good chance for Ryosuke to finish his guard training before he started working with another aspect of his eventual job.

"Mr. Dumbledore explained that a Lord Voldemort was pulling in wizards and witches with Dark affiliations and waging a war against those with more than just magical blood, non-purebloods according to your language. Mr. Dumbledore was working with the Ministry to protect Light affiliated and people with all blood types. He did mention that the war had a break in fighting, with the stalemate lasting for a little over a decade, but that Lord Voldemort was attacking once again. That is all we know in your wizard war."

"And you agreed to protect wizards, no further questions?" Harry was surprised at how basic the information provided was, surely they would want to know more.

"Those who are young and still learning should always be protected until they are ready to face the world. If your wizarding leaders are unable to protect their young we will help, but we will not fight your wars for you." Yuusuke clasped his hands in front of him looking down at Harry. "Wizards do not foster trust with magical creatures; so we do not fight for them."

"Harry, is there more information that we will need to do our job?" Suzaku asked. Harry noticed that Satoshi had moved closer to him and now had one of Suzaku's arms around his waist. He filed that image away to ask Ryosuke about later.

"There is more to this war than what was explained to you and now that I am mated to Ryosuke, you will need that information. Before the pause in fighting a prophecy came out claiming that the one who will defeat the Dark Lord was coming. There were two children born that fit the prophecy. Voldemort went after one and sent a few of his closest followers after the other. Halloween night, 15 years ago, Voldemort attacked one of the children, failed, and disappeared leaving the child scared." Harry started.

"You're that child." Harry looked up at Minato's words.

"Yes. My lightning bolt proclaimed me as the child of prophecy. I encountered various versions of Voldemort during my years here at Hogwarts. During my 4th year he succeed in a ritual to regain his body and has been building up his followers ever since. Last year I discovered that a mental link existed between us which would show me visions of what he was currently doing sometimes. Dumbledore ordered that I get Occulumancy lessons to close my mind to him but those did not help. Last night, while with Ryosuke, I got another vision. It was the first one I have had since May."

"That link is worrisome. I highly suggest that you get it removed soon so that it does not grow in power. It is unclear what further strengthening the bond will do precisely but nothing that would be good for you." Satoshi spoke breaking the silence that had enveloped the room. "Especially if you have had it for 15 years. It is obvious that the connection is growing, and not in a good way. I will need to look into the best way to remove it but be aware that it will take time to safely remove it."

"I will need to return and speak with my advisors. If the information you have just provided is true, and considering your connection to Ryosuke, we may have to change things. Suzaki, I need you to stay here as you have been but find ways to increase our information quietly. There is no need to inform Mr. Dumbledore or those in power that we are collecting more information, they will try to force us into their fight. I understand that more of the guards sent here found _sukidoushi_ , use those connections to gather more information and send it along.

"Suzaku, I need you to return with me for now. Ryosuke, your request to train Harry and the others is approved. Teach them what you can. If they cannot learn any of it then have them at least join lessons in order to understand how we work. Satoshi, return to the _Ijutsukan_ and update your information, hopefully you can find a quick way to break that connection. Your mother isn't going to be happy." With the last part mumbled Yuusuke, Suzaku, and Satoshi made their way to Ryosuke's fireplace.

"I will contact you when I have found a solution to removing the link so that we can set up a time to do so." Satoshi said as Yuusuke and Suzaku left in flashes for fire.

"Thank you Satoshi." Ryosuke nodded goodbye.

"So, completely not the way I planned on meeting your father." Harry said still staring at the fireplace, mind trying to follow everything that just happened.

"And not the way I hoped to learn more about you, _koi_." Harry could only give a sheepish shrug as Minato rolled his eyes.

* * *

 **Darling Blaise,**

 **I had the funniest correspondence with Narcissa the other day. She seemed to be under the impression that I would despair and be all a fluster with the news that you are sleeping with a creature. She obviously doesn't know a thing about our family.**

 **I'm glad that you finally found a creature to experiment with and I hope you bring him home with you for the holidays. You know how I enjoy meeting your partners.**

 **This year we shall stay at our villa in Italy. Be sure to inform those you are bringing. Do send a picture of your partner so that I can make all of the necessary arrangements for their stay with us.**

 **Much love,**

 **Mother**

Blaise finished reading the letter out loud to Kazuma just as Kazuma pushed all of the way into him.

"What does she mean by picture?" Kazuma waited for Blaise to shift to a better position before he started to move.

"She wants a nude for herself but I think I shall be denying her. So will you be joining us for the holidays?" Blaise wrapped his legs around Kazuma's waist pulling him in harder.

"I'll check to see if I am permitted to leave with you. Now, less about that and let's focus on this." Kazuma leaned down and started trusting his tongue into Blaise's mouth in time with his trusts forward. Blaise was more than happy to oblige.

-Nanananananananananananananananana-

AN: Had to end on an up note. Also - 2 new characters, one of which is Ryosuke's father! What a way to meet a future father-in-law. Wasn't planning on bringing Yuusuke in here but he was pouting about having been created but not used. Ryosuke's mother and aunt though will need to wait a bit longer.

Also, at least Blaise is getting some. Poor Harry will need to step up his game. Lol A secondary pairing is getting more action than he is!

 _Koi_ – (恋) love

 _Kouteishi_ – (皇帝子) crown prince

 _Sukidoushi_ – (好き同氏) soul mate

 _Ijutsukan_ – (医術館) Healing Hall (literally: medicine/healing and hall/building)

Reviews are greatly appreciated. So are favs, kudos, follows, pms, and subscribes. Flames or negative reviews are fed to the plot bunnies to keep them multiplying (ie they help me with what I am missing). Please let me know if something doesn't make sense, it is how I know to add a scene with more info in it.

On a side note: I got hit hard by a plot bunny for another story. I wrote the idea down and put it away, expecting it to be good, like the other ideas I have gotten recently, and only let me work on 1 fic at a time. No, it wanted attention and has forced me to write the first chapter. I'm going to do my best to keep this fic my focus but do not be alarmed if there is an extra day between posts. I have no plans to post this other story quite yet. I'll probably wait until I have a few chapters completed before I start posting. I just wanted to let you lovely readers know that soon there will be a HP crossover with Yu-Gi-Oh from me.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ translated below

 **Word** is written word

-Nanananananaananananana-

 **Mark Found Over Muggle Town**

 **By Cynthia Thimble**

 **Yesterday evening the Auror Department was made aware of excessive use of magic in a non-magical area. (For more information about the Auror Department's new measures for safety see page 6) Because the area was labeled as a non-magic location Obliviators were sent along with the Aurors in order to remove the memory of magic being cast. When they arrived at the town their first sight was of the dark mark found hovering over the area.**

 **Muggle services were already on scene attempting to stop the fires that were burning all of the buildings as well as trying to save the Muggles that were left alive. Aurors quickly called in mind healers and others with the ability to tackle many fires, and quickly took over the scene.**

 **Obliviators worked with each mind healer while Aurors took statements from everyone there. It seems like the Dark Lord, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, sent Death Eaters to attack, kill, and destroy this Muggle town. Of the 1,000 Muggles that lived there over 800 were killed. Of those who are left about half of them died before their wounds could be healed by our healers or the Muggle counterparts.**

 **From the information that the Aurors were able to put together it seems that the attack started around 7 o'clock last night and lasted until after 9 o'clock when help arrived from the nearby city, over an hour away.**

 **The poor Muggle who made the call in for help had this to say to the Aurors:**

' **I was in the Church praying for my family's health. My grandparents have been sick and my parents overworked taking care of them and my younger siblings. I had taken to going to the Church after dinner each night for a few hours praying and reading scriptures. It is my goal to join the Church as a Father when I am older. Noises from the square interrupted my praying and when I looked out at the window and saw what was happening I immediately looked up the number for the police department in the city and called for help. They advised me to stay inside the Church where I was safe and hidden.'**

 **When the Aurors asked for more detail on what he saw he made references to things called 'lasers', 'sci-fi', and 'Bond mixed with Star Wars'. Aurors did not know what to do with this information and were unable to provide details on what they are.**

 **For the readers who are unfamiliar with the Muggle terms, a Church is a building where Muggles worship their one god. A scripture, apparently, is a story or list of rules for them to follow. The Muggle used what is known as a 'cell phone', a device that works similarly to floo calls, to find the information and make a call to the police, who are the Muggle equivalent to our Aurors.**

 **The Aurors were able to get the face of one of the attackers who removed their mask briefly from a few of the Muggles. They will be working on identifying the man to bring in for questioning.**

 **What is to happen to the remaining Muggles is unknown by the Prophet at this time. However, the town buildings could not be salvaged from the damage done to them so it is likely that the remaining Muggles will be moved into the nearby city once they are released from medical care.**

Hermione put down the paper after reading the article. She knew that the next few pages were likely to hold other details of the attack and further explanation of various Muggle terms. She glanced around the hall and took note of those who got to that article. It wasn't front page news. No the attack on the Muggle town was hidden on the fourth page of the paper.

Hermione only knew to look for it because Harry mentioned it to her and Ron last night when he finally stumbled back into the Common Room at 11, having been guided there by Ryosuke and Minato. From the information he told them, Hermione was glad that he wasn't witness to the raid itself. They also agreed that there was no point in informing Dumbledore because Harry didn't have any useful information to pass on. It turns out that that wouldn't have been needed anyways with how quickly the Auror Department acted. 'If only they could have made it before more died.'

"So anyone have any idea why our esteemed Headmaster keeps sending disappointed glances at our table?" Fred and George asked in tandem as they grabbed seats at the table, leaving space for Koyo and Junpei to sit down with them.

"There was a Death Eater raid last night." Hermione started.

"Oh, we know that." Fred started.

"We want to know about the disappointing looks." George picked up an orange and started separating the pieces.

"I got a vision about the meeting after the raid. I didn't mention anything because there was nothing to do by that point." Harry leaned across the table and whispered to the Twins. It wouldn't be good to have him overheard by anyone.

"Well then," George popped an orange slice into his mouth.

"We always knew he had some unrealistic expectations." Fred shrugged while stealing a slice.

"It's not like you're our Savior or anything." With a wink and a teasing grin the twins turned their attention to their prank ideas. They both knew how much he hated that title given to him by the Prophet when they were happy with him. To be fair, it was much better when the Prophet favored him than when they didn't. Harry was just relieved that no one at the Prophet had expected him to do anything about the raid. At least this Cynthia Thimble seemed to actually write factual news and didn't just make things up.

* * *

"Ah, Harry my boy, do come in." Dumbledore watched as Harry entered the room. However, he was surprised to see a Joukriger follow him in. "Can I help you? I was just about to have a meeting as you can see. Could you come back later?"

"Oh, Minato's with me, sir. Ryosuke asked if he could follow me around today, like that shadowing thing Muggles do. They want to get a better understanding of what the students do and where they go." Harry waved his hand trying to act like the fact that Minato followed him to this meeting wasn't unusual.

"Harry, we're going to talk about certain topics that deal with the war. Since Joukriger are neutral, there is no point in him being here. He can wait for you by the gargoyle." Minato's eyes turned silver at the casual dismissal, as if he would go against his orders just because the school's headmaster disliked them.

"Why should it matter if he over hears? As you said, sir, they are neutral. He won't care one way or the other." Harry stared at Dumbledore while Minato took a seat next to him.

"This is delicate and sensitive information, Harry."

"Is this about the raid in the paper right? That's what your note said. I didn't have a vision of it, sir, if that is what you are wondering." Dumbledore shot a glance at Minato when Harry mentioned having visions.

"I'm surprised you didn't feel anything Harry. Severus came in last night and mentioned that something might be happening but he didn't have more information. I have found that when Severus is in pain from the Mark you usually have a vision as well. Are you telling me nothing happened?" Dumbledore steepled his fingers in front of his mouth. 'I'll need to figure out how to obliviate this meeting from the Joukriger. If he tells anyone that Harry gets visions of Voldemort that could be detrimental to our side; especially if the Prophet gets a hold of that information.'

"Are you saying you always knew when I had a vision before I came to you? And to be perfectly honest, sir. From what I saw in the meeting, I would not have wanted to see the raid itself." Harry clenched his hands into his fists on the chair's arm rests. "It was unpleasant enough just hearing them talk about it."

"I understand it must be difficult, Harry, but wouldn't it be better to get knowledge of the raid and be able to send help?" Dumbledore looked at Harry with deep disappointment. "Those poor Muggles suffered needlessly. The next time this happens I suggest you find out sooner in order to help save more. From what my contacts at the Ministry have told me, the Muggles that survived had to have many years erased in some cases, memories altered, and more to remove some people from their memories. Some will never recover."

'He makes it sound like Harry has control of when he gets visions or what he sees.' Minato looked at Dumbledore, eyes starting to gain red swirls, not liking how he was trying to manipulate Harry. 'We'll need to help Harry remove himself from this as much as we can. Maybe going through the removal process for the scar will also stop these visions. I'll need to check with Satoshi.'

"If there is nothing you can help with Harry, you should get to class." Dumbledore looked down at his desk.

"I'll need a note."

"You're dismissed Harry." Dumbledore spoke over the boy as his two visitors stood. He watched as Harry and the Joukriger turned to leave. With a quick wave of his wand, Dumbledore shot an obliviate at Minato. He smiled as he watched the spell got absorbed into the back of the head. 'That should remove this meeting from his mind. Now what to do to get Harry to see more raids before they happen?'

* * *

 **Dear Sirius and Remus,**

 **I know we talked about me coming home to Grimmauld for the Winter Holidays break this year. Would it be alright to invite Ryosuke to come as well? I think he would enjoy a break from watching the school.**

 **Last night, after the raid happened, I got a vision while with Ryosuke. He freaked out and called in one of their healers who took a look at my magic and health. He thinks he can do something about my scar and the damage it has done; but, it would take a long time to remove safely. Ryosuke suggested doing it during Winter break so as not to interfere with school.**

 **Dumbledore was rather upset with the fact that I didn't get a vision of the raid itself. But considering what was talked about during the meeting afterwards, I wouldn't have wanted to see it. He also wasn't happy that Minato, who came to the meeting with me, heard about the visions. He tried to obliviate Minato but failed to do so, I'm not sure if he is aware that if failed though.**

 **On a different note, Hermione mentioned the other day that she tried to get Wizard Classes created to help those Muggle-raised students. She wondered why there was only a Muggle Class option but no Wizard Class. Apparently she had brought it up to McGonagall a few years ago and nothing has happened with it. Is there something we can do? You mentioned that as my guardian you have control of my votes in different governing bodies. Does this include the school board? It would be really helpful for Muggle-raised students to have a class about the Wizarding world and traditions so that they can better understand how things work. Maybe if they knew more they wouldn't leave after Hogwarts or force more Muggle ideas on the Wizarding World? I know I would have liked to learn more about how things worked instead of finding it out randomly from Ron or when I do something wrong.**

 **Maurders Forever,**

 **Harry**

"I solemnly swear I'm up to no good." Harry intoned as he waved his wand over the letter.

As the spell on the parchment took effect his letter changed to be about pranks and homework. It was a brilliant piece of work that Sirius, Remus, Fred, and George worked on during the summer to be able to send encrypted mail. Anything sent from the students would talk about pranks, homework, classes, and other such topics; while things sent from the adults would be generic replies, reminders not to get caught with pranks, and stories of cleaning the house. It wasn't until the recipient uttered "Mischief Managed" over the paper that the real letter revealed itself. So far only the 5 of them had access to the enchanted parchment. 'I'm going to need more soon. I'll have to remember to pick up more during the holidays.'

Harry folded the parchment and attached it to Hedwig's leg.

"I'm sorry to wake you but could you take this to Sirius or Remus for me?" Harry scratched her chest feathers as she hooted softly at him. After a few nips at his hair, Hedwig shook herself more awake and flew out of the open window to find Sirius and Remus.

Harry leaned back in his seat listening to Minato inform Ryosuke and Suzaki about their meeting with Dumbledore. Harry was very glad that Dumbledore's obliviate didn't work on Minato, apparently a natural protection in Joukriger stopped them from being affected by mind magics. It would have been hard to explain to Ryosuke that their employer could mess with their memories.

-Nananananananananananana-

AN: So Cynthia Thimble is not Muggle-raised but is a bit more knowledgeable on some things than the usual wizard. Hence knowing some Muggle things but not others. Basically she is a witch who paid attention in Muggle Studies.

Dumbledore's not too happy with Harry right now. Nor will he be happy when he learns about Harry's plans in getting rid of the scar. After all, no scar = no visions. Also, I was going to leave you guessing about Minato and the obliviate but decided not to.

A lovely reviewer reminded me about the Joukriger's color changing eyes. I then realized that I have been lax in telling you their colors in the story. Last chapter could have had a few mentions easily. I shall be adding them in going forward. In a few chapters I'll list all the colors for you.

Remember to mention some scenes you'd like to see. I've gotten a few suggestions that I've written down for development. Keep them coming! Also, still looking for help with the sexier scenes. If you are fine with how the scenes are now then let me know too, it just means you are unlikely to read anything more explicit.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. So are favs, kudos, follows, pms, and subscribes. Flames or negative reviews are fed to the plot bunnies to keep them multiplying (ie they help me with what I am missing). Please let me know if something doesn't make sense, it is how I know to add a scene with more info in it.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ translated below

 **Word** is written word

-Nananananananananananananana-

"Sirius, put those away and listen for a moment. Harry sent a letter." Remus walked into the study that Sirius had claimed for business matters.

"Oh, Prongslet sent a letter? What's going on?" Sirius set down the details of the Black vaults. He had been looking through past transactions in the account making sure everything was as it should be. Remus sat down before the desk and read the letter out loud.

"I've no problem with Harry inviting Ryosuke to join us. Should we say for the full vacation or just a few days?" Sirius asked leaning back in his seat. "It would be good to learn more about Prongslet's mate."

"I think for the full break. He mentions removing his scar, which could take a while depending on how long 'a long time' is. If we have him here for all of that, Ryosuke is likely to want to be nearby as well." Remus mused looking over the letter again.

"It also sounds like Dumbledore expected Harry to get a vision about that raid last night. How would he know to expect something like that? Were those Occlumency classes last year just a ruse to strengthen the bond and increase the likelihood of a vision occurring?" Sirius reached for the letter and read it again.

"I don't like those implications if it is true. It's also worrisome that he tried to obliviate one of the Joukriger. They won't take that well. I'm glad the spell failed, but I would not want to be Dumbledore when they retaliate if they decide to do so."

"I wonder if they'll take suggestions. I'm sure we have a few Marauder pranks that haven't been used yet. What do you say Moony, should we send some suggestions?" Sirius grinned over at his mate.

"I'm sure Harry would offer that if it is something they are interested in. The Weasley Twins are also there to provide pranks if required. I'm not sure we need to pull out our old ones." Remus chuckled.

"What do you think about the last part? About the Wizard Classes?" Sirius looked back at the letter.

"Hermione asked me about them in their 3rd year, when I was there teaching. She asked if there was ever a class offered that taught Muggle-raised students about the wizarding world, like how the Muggle Class covered various inventions of the Muggle world. She did say that class's information was outdated but still provided a good foundation. It seemed like she had approached Minerva about it, but was brushed off. When she found out that there hadn't been one as far as I knew from my days at the school, she seemed highly disappointed."

"That's our bookworm." Sirius said fondly. "Approaching a problem via multiple professors."

"I think it could be a good idea. With a little bit of work a proposal can be brought to the Board of Governors, now that you have lots of access to them and votes via the Potter and Black names."

"That's right! I can bring forth a proposal to the Board as well as have two votes. And, if the Board doesn't approve of the course offering, then I can take it to the Ministry where both houses hold voting seats. No need to go through the Professors, Deputy Headmistress, nor Dumbledore." Sirius grinned to himself rubbing his hands together. "We'll have to have Hermione come over during the break so that we can draft up something."

"Speaking of Dumbledore, is he still trying to get the Ministry to return guardianship to him?" Remus asked spotting the Ministry Seal on a letter in the corner of the desk.

"Yes, this was the newest letter from the Ministry and Gringotts assuring me that, despite Dumbledore's repeated requests, I 'remain guardian of one Mr. Harry James Potter.'" Sirius sneered.

"He is making it more and more difficult to play nice isn't he?"

"You know Moony, when Bill was updating the wards he offered to re-do the Fidelius Charm for free. What to be a secret keeper?"

"Why Padfoot, are you suggesting we lock the Order out of their Headquarters, that they have had free reign to come and go as they please?"

"Dear Moony, that is exactly what I am suggesting. Dumbledore can find another location for the Order to hold meetings in. This house if for you, me, and Prongslet. I would say no charm just to make it easier for friends to stop by, but Dumbledore would continue to insist on using this location; on top of that Harry needs extra protection. I say do the charm and only let a few know about the change."

"I knew I loved you for a reason. I'll floo him when we are done and get him to come do it today." Remus leaned across the desk and gave Sirius a short kiss. "Now what was the letter from Gringotts about earlier today?"

"Ah, while I was going over the Black statements I noticed funds being drawn out each month for the 'Malfoy heir as per Black-Malfoy contract'. Since the funds were still being withdrawn, the vaults did not register Narcissa's disownment as a release from the monetary aspects of the contract. After all, with her no longer a Black you would think that the Black-Malfoy contract would become null. This reminded me, however, that Draco Malfoy, Narcissa's son, has closer ties to the Black heritage than Harry; unless I declare Harry as heir on all forms. If I had thought about it earlier, we would have done so when we took Harry to Gringotts. Now we will have to wait until the holidays to make a trip there again to sign everything."

"Does this mean that Draco wasn't disowned when Narcissa was?"

"He wasn't. I'm going to have to do that as well."

"Maybe you should contact him first and see where he fits in with everything before disowning him. He isn't a miniature Lucius completely, at least not in his 3rd year. He carried a lot of the same mannerisms, but it seemed to be more emulation instead of actual belief. Talk to him and learn his views first. Or ask Harry about him. He would have noticed any changes in Draco if there were any."

* * *

"About time for another Order meeting, don't you agree Fawkes? I should have everyone check in so that I know for sure that they are all doing what they are supposed to. I can also use the meeting to strengthen their ties to the Order." Dumbledore wondered aloud as he made his way to his desk from his rooms behind the office. "Now where did I put the summons globe?"

Dumbledore wandered around his office before stopping in front of a book case near Fawkes's perch.

"There you are." Dumbledore opened the doors of the book case where he kept his rare books, pensieve, and various trinkets monitoring things throughout the wizarding world. Reaching in, he placed his left palm over the globe.

"Order meeting, 4 hours, usual location." The globe flashed twice before returning to normal. Message sent, Dumbledore closed the doors again and wandered over to the fire place.

"I think I shall go see Sirius and Remus early and let them know that Harry failed in informing me of the raid in time to send help. I'll announce it at the meeting of course, but I should break it to them first. They may have some ideas to help with the boy." With one last scratch to Fawkes's head, Dumbledore threw floo powder into the fireplace and stepped in, "Grimmauld Place, Order of the Phoenix."

And nothing happened.

"Grimmauld Place, Order of the Phoenix!"

Nothing. He was speaking clearly. He said both the destination and the password agreed on for the floo. What was going on? Did something happen to Grimmauld?

Dumbledore hurried from the fireplace and out of his office, calling over his shoulder "There's something wrong with Order Headquarters Fawkes. Grab Alastor and Shacklebolt and meet me there!"

He ran as fast as he could down to the front gates of the school, passing Minerva on his way.

"No time to explain Minerva, but I need you to come with me to the Order now." Once they passed the wards covering the castle both Professors apparated to the park across from Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Fawkes flashed in not long later with both Moody and Kingsley.

"Albus, what is going on? I got your message about the meeting in 4 hours, so why are we here now?" Kingsley straightened out from his battle ready stance, not seeing any danger.

"I tried to go to the Headquarters early to talk to Sirius and Remus but was unable to floo in. Obviously something in wrong."

"Albus, why is 12 Grimmauld Place not showing itself?" McGonagall asked looking at the space between 11 and 13. All three men turned around and tried to bring the house into view without any luck. "Do you think something happened with the wards?"

"I don't know Minerva. But this can't mean anything good." Albus stepped forward with Moody at his side. "Let's try scanning for any wards in the area, maybe some spell is stopping us from seeing it." As the four wizards started waving their wands to search for wards Remus and Sirius stepped up behind them.

"That won't do you any good." Remus calmly smiled as the four turned around.

"Remus! Sirius! Thank Merlin you're alright. What's wrong with the Headquarters?" McGonagall asked lowering her wand.

"Do you mean Grimmauld? Nothing's wrong with the house. We just finished updating the wards, protections, and general house updates. Finally got rid of that blasted painting too. Mother can't screech at me when she is locked in a vault at Gringotts. It'll be great for Harry to come to a real home for the Holidays. He's already choosing colors for his room." Sirius grinned while rocking back and forth.

"Did you change the passwords when doing your updates? I was unable to enter." Dumbledore spoke sadly, "I was worried that something happened."

"Of course. Wouldn't be very secure if random people came into our home at all hours when they pleased. Now people will need permission to visit like everywhere else. Perfectly secure for when Harry comes. A nice home for three." Remus smiled when McGonagall caught on to what Sirius was hinting at. She was always pretty good at picking up their meanings when they were students.

"It's good that Harry will finally have a home, but would it not have been prudent to inform someone about the change?" McGonagall asked smiling indulgently.

"This is the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix! You gave us use of this house. You can't kick us out!" Moody huffed out.

"You'll find that no contract was ever made giving this location to the Order. It has been my house, and will continue to be my house, to do with as I please. I let the Order make use of it on the condition that Dumbledore would be find a better location to move the Order to within 2 years. The Order hasn't left, and we are coming up on 3 years now. I'm reclaiming my house for my personal use." Sirius calmly explained.

"Sirius, a better location hasn't revealed itself. Surely, you understand the continued need to make use of Grimmauld for our meetings." Dumbledore folded his hands in front of himself.

"You've had plenty of time and Harry needs a proper home. Find somewhere else to hold the meetings." Sirius shook his head.

"How about the Dumbledore Family House. It must be empty and available with all of your time being spent at Hogwarts." Remus suggested.

"You can't really expect Dumbledore to give up his family home for this?" Kingsley asked aghast.

"And yet you expect me to give up mine?" Sirius glared at the Auror.

"You don't even like this place!" Moody argued.

"I didn't like how it was, nor being forced to stay there right after Azkaban. A few updates here and there, a new paint job inside and out, and it's like a brand new home." Sirius shrugged indifferently.

"There is a meeting in less than 4 hours, couldn't you open your house to us this time?" Dumbledore asked kindly. 'Once I know the new protections being used I can change them to open the house full time to us.'

"You're just going to have to find someplace in that time. Now, if you don't mind, Sirius and I were heading to dinner. Do let us know where the new location will be and we shall see you there." Remus nodded his head to McGonagall, "Care to join us Minerva?"

"I would be delighted to. However, I have a few more papers to grade before the meeting."

"Ungrateful bastard! This is what you do after all that Albus has done for you?" Moody roared out.

"Watch your volume Moody. This is a muggle neighborhood. It wouldn't do for them to call the police and make a noise complaint." Sirius mocked. "We're trying to get along with our Muggle neighbors."

"I'm very disappointed Sirius." Dumbledore shook his head, "That you would throw the Order out onto the streets during this time of war."

"Oh come off it, Albus. There are plenty of other places for you to take the Order. I don't see you forcing anyone else to open their homes for you or you offering your own. It's time someone else's pocketbook and home take care of the Order. The Blacks have supported the Order financially enough. You're not getting in. We'll see you in just over three hours, at your new location. Come on Remus, if we dally any longer they might run out of garlic bread."

"Well, now that that is sorted, I'll be heading back to the castle. I do need to finish that grading. I do hope you find a location quickly, Albus." Minerva quickly apparated back to the Hogwarts gates.

"What are we going to do, Albus?" Kingsley asked as he watched Sirius and Remus continue down the street.

"I'm going to have to cancel the meeting until I can find us a new location or convince them to open Grimmauld again." 'This is not good. They are continuing to question my leadership. I need to get them back to how they were before Sirius was free, and stop questioning me and my directions. But how? Maybe deny Harry the ability to leave the school for the holidays?'

"Let me know if there is anything I can do Albus. I'll be at the Ministry." Moody glowered down the street in the direction that Sirius and Remus went in before apparating away. Dumbledore stood outside of where he knew 12 Grimmauld Place was for a while longer before heading back to Hogwarts. He would need to inform the Order that all meetings were cancelled until a new location was found.

'Maybe spinning this to Molly in a way for her to guilt Sirius into opening the house again will work. The two of them were constantly conversing at meetings before and arguing over Harry's care. She might have some insight on how to get them to change their minds.'

* * *

"Where are you leading me _Tenshi_? You've already taken me to the lake before. Didn't you say you were going to show me something new?" Naoya asked as he followed Luna, watching her progress with blue and green eyes. Each time she went to climb over a rock or log he would steady her with hands on her waist.

"We are starting at the lake, then moving on. Our first stop is just ahead." Luna continued on ignorant of the sappy look on Naoya's face behind her. A few feet from the forest along the eastern shore of the lake Luna came to a stop and knelt down at the water's edge.

"Careful." Naoya reached out touching her shoulder when he noticed that the water dropped off quickly instead of the gentle slope like closer to the castle.

"They won't hurt me."

"Who won't?" Naoya looked around with black eyes, concerned, expecting to see something in the forest behind them.

"The mermaids. Here they are. You mentioned having never seen one before. They often come to this section of the lake." Sure enough, when Naoya looked back into the water he saw a few mermaids coming close. From the size of them the three coming close looked to be rather young. Naoya continued to look around the water, ignoring the three that were now just under the water's surface, trying to find an older mermaid who would be watching them.

"Naoya, stop looking for their caregiver. He won't come close unless they are in danger. These are the three youngest that they allow out of the mermaid village. Put you hand in, they're fascinated with our fingers. They won't pull you in." Luna looked up at him as she dipped her right hand under the surface. Sure enough the three mermaids poked and prodded her hand and fingers but did not make any move to pull her in. Naoya kneeled down next to her and slowly lowered his hand in as well. He was startled when he felt a cold wet finger brush against his palm, tracing an outline.

"What are they doing?" He whispered to Luna.

"They're comparing our hands. They've only ever seen mine, so they are looking for similarities and differences." Naoya left his hand in the water for a few minutes before drawing it out when it seemed like the mermaids lost interest.

"Where are we going next?" As he stood up he brushed pebbles and grass from his pant legs. He then reached a hand out to help Luna get up so that she could brush her robes off.

"I'm going to take you to meet a few unicorns and thestrals. We won't be able to approach the unicorns but they will let us view them from afar. The thestrals might seem scary at first but really they're just misunderstood. Although they are the opposite of unicorns in looks and approachability, they are just as calm and playful as unicorns are."

"Lead on _Tenshi_. I trust your judgements." Naoya pulled Luna in for a hug and kissed her forehead before letting her lead them into the forest.

-Nananananananananananananananananana-

AN: So Sirius and Remus are up to a few things… and yes they had just finished doing the Fidelius Charm with Remus as secret keeper just before Dumbledore sent the meeting note, giving Bill enough time to vacate the area. Dumbledore's going to have a hard time running a secret anti-Voldemort Order with no headquarters! There will be a temp location before a final spot (if he can find one quick enough!)

 _Tenshi_ – (天使) angel

A scene with Luna and Naoya was requested so I hope you enjoyed it.

 **NEW POLL:** Snape – Good or Evil or Neutral? (He has a very small part but will be mentioned now and then so I want your opinions on how he should act. Basically I'm asking is he really on the Light side, Dark side, or Neutral about the war?)

Remember to mention some scenes you'd like to see. I've gotten a few suggestions that I've written down for development. Keep them coming! Also still looking for help with the sexier scenes. If you are fine with how the scenes are now then let me know too, it just means you are unlikely to read anything more explicit.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. So are favs, kudos, follows, pms, and subscribes. Flames or negative reviews are fed to the plot bunnies to keep them multiplying (ie they help me with what I am missing). Please let me know if something doesn't make sense, it is how I know to add a scene with more info in it.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

CLARIFICATION: This was brought to my attention in a review so I would like to clarify how the Fidelius Charm will work in this story (for those who were wondering) When the Fidelius was taken down and re-applied it still hid the house from all who would have known about it. It didn't remove the knowledge that the Order was at No. 12 Grimmauld Place. That's still there. What has been newely re-hidden is No. 12 Grimmauld Place. So even if people know that the Order can be found at No 12 Grimmauld, they can't find No 12 Grimmauld Place. That's not what the house is going to be known as now. The house is now known by a different name. I'm going to be working off of the idea that you need to know what the location is called as well as it's physical location, so since Dumbledore and the others don't know both they will never find the house until they are told.

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ translated below

 **Word** is written word

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL OF MY AMERICAN READERS!

-Nananananananananananananana-

Molly was finishing up cleaning the dinner dishes when a brown owl knocked on the window. Wrapping up a dish for Author to have when he got back from the Ministry later, she walked to the window to let the owl in. Seeing the Hogwarts crest on the front of the letter in its claws, she took it quickly. 'Hopefully Fred and George didn't get themselves in trouble again. This is their last year! The least they could do is have a calm year.'

 **Dear Molly,**

 **I'm sure you are confused about the Order summons and then cancelation. I wish to assure you that the meeting will happen, it is just temporarily stalled.**

 **Have you spoken with Sirius or Remus recently? I fear something might be wrong with the two of them. Have they seemed different to you? They could be under a curse or potion. If you haven't heard from them recently, then don't worry yourself about it. I'll be looking into it and will cure them of whatever has taken hold.**

 **However, this does mean that the current Headquarters is not safe for us to hold our meetings in at this time. I worry that something in that house has caused them to act strangely, thus it would be safer for everyone to hold the meetings elsewhere for a short while.**

 **I realize that space at the Burrow is limited inside the house, but you do have a lovely large back garden area. I would hate to impose on your hospitality but until Sirius and Remus are safe I hope you are happy to host the meetings.**

 **Do reply as soon as possible so that the meeting that was called for today can happen without delay.**

 **Albus** **Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore,**

 **Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Order of Merlin, First Class; Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Grand Sorcerer, and Leader of the Order of the Phoenix**

"What's that, Mum?" Bill asked as he and Charlie entered the kitchen, both moving to drop a kiss on her cheek in greeting. They both had time off from their respective jobs and thought it would be a good idea to visit home now to avoid the craziness of travel at the holidays.

"Oh boys! You've come for a visit. You should have floo'd earlier to say you were coming. I haven't gotten your rooms ready or anything!" Molly said in surprise at Bill's voice, ecstatic to see her two oldest sons. "Albus just sent me a letter asking a few things. Bill, you saw Remus and Sirius recently. Did they seem off to you? He thinks they might be cursed."

"They seemed perfectly fine the last time I was at Grimmauld. As you know, they asked for my help with their renovations and wards. I can ask them over and check them when they come through." Charlie looked concerned at their conversation as he made his way over to the stove to start a pot of tea. He pulled a tea tin from his pocket and placed it in the cupboard next to the others he had brought back from Romania in past visits.

"Could you? I know Albus said he would take care of it, but I know they want to bring Harry home for the holidays. It would be awful if something was wrong." Molly fretted. Bill returned to the living room fire place.

"Marauder's Den, Managing Mischief" Bill called out Sirius's floo address and password as he stuck his head into the floo. He made sure to pitch his voice low enough not to be overheard when speaking the new address and password. No need to risk giving it out before others could be added to the secret by Remus.

"Sirius? Remus? Are you home?" Bill called out, seeing the empty living room. He knew that if they were home they would hear his call thanks to a charm they added to the floo. The charm allowed it so that if no one was in the room when a call came through, the person requested would be notified if the caller called out for them, no matter where in the house they were. A few minutes later Remus entered the room.

"Bill, what a surprise. We weren't expecting a call from you this evening. Sirius will be down in just a moment. He needed to finish his letter to Gringotts." Remus took a seat on the couch. "Would you like to step through?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you two would mind coming to the Burrow. Mum got a concerning letter from Dumbledore and she'd like to reassure herself that you two are alright. Run some tests, things like that."

"Ah, so Albus ran to Molly when he couldn't use our house for the Order Meetings." Sirius said coming into the room, hearing Bill's words as he entered. "We'll step through. No need for her to get into a tizzy. Let us grab some documents and we'll be right over." Bill pulled out and cut the connection so that the two men could come through.

"They're grabbing some documents and will be right over." Bill stepped back into the kitchen as Charlie was pouring the tea.

"Good thing I brought extra tea tonight then. With those two coming this pot will finish up the last tin I had brought over." Charlie shook the empty tin of tea to emphasize his point.

"Is that Charlie we hear?" Sirius's voice called out from the living room. "Please tell us he brought over some Dragon's Finest teas! Moony, are you sure we can't kidnap him to be our tea slave? He brings the best gifts back from Romania. "

"Yes, and there is a pot steeping now." Charlie called back as the two men entered the room.

"No we can't, Padfoot. The dragons wouldn't like that. So while we are waiting for the tea to brew shall we commence with the curse checking? Get it over and done with?" Remus suggested as he entered behind Sirius smiling at Molly to assure her that they weren't angry.

"Bill, if you would." Sirius grinned and threw his arms out to his sides. Bill, with a shake of his head, started running a spell detection scan over Sirius. It was a spell used by and created by curse breakers working for Gringotts to find spells that were added to a person or thing. It was really useful in showing what spell, who cast it, and how to remove it if one was there.

"Nothing on Sirius, other than a Fidelius Charm for a location." Sirius nodded and took a seat at the table as Bill started to scan Remus.

"Nothing but the Fidelius Charm for a location." Bill announced a few moments later. Remus smiled as he sat beside Sirius.

"If there aren't any negative spells, what about potions? Albus mentioned that possibility." Molly continued to fret.

"Is this about the fact that we won't allow the Order to freely use Grimmauld Place for their meetings anymore?" Sirius asked as he picked up the cup of tea placed before him.

"Albus was worried something happened to you two and said that Grimmauld wasn't secure until he could correct what was wrong. What do you mean 'won't allow'?" Molly asked as everyone finally grabbed seats at the table.

"You know that we went through and renovated Grimmauld this autumn, right? With Bill's help we also changed the wards and removed anything dangerous, to Gringotts to be dealt with later. At that time we also changed the Fidelius Charm. We want the home to be for us and Harry. A proper home for us three. We couldn't do that the way that it was. With everyone in the Order coming and going as they pleased, it would not be very secure for Harry. Nor would it really feel like a home." Remus started explaining.

"Harry hasn't had someplace that he could really call his own before. He's either shared a room with someone, like when he is here or at Hogwarts, or was borrowing a space. By turning Grimmauld into a proper home for him, he will finally have his own space. Like he would have had with James and Lily. I've been a pretty poor Godfather to him but I am changing that. I'm free, able to make legal decisions for Harry's best interest, and look after him like I should have been doing for the last 15 years. Part of that includes providing a secure location for him to live in, free from the war." Sirius declared. "I'm also seeing a secure mind healer to help combat the 12 years I spent in Azkaban. I won't put Harry into a harmful environment if I can help it. Albus can use his own home for Order meetings. He won't be using Harry's."

"Let me get this straight. Dumbledore is upset that you kicked the Order out in order to make a safe place for Harry to live? So that he could have a home of his own? And now, Dumbledore is asking Mum to have the Order here; even though you told him to offer his own home?" Charlie asked in amazement.

"Pretty much. He hasn't liked any decision we've made regarding Harry recently; and was pretty upset with us when he couldn't access Grimmauld as he liked just before Sirius and I went to dinner this evening. He even called in Minerva, Kingsley, and Moody when he confronted us outside of the house." Remus shrugged his shoulders. "Minerva was very understanding of our wish and sent us a note once she reached Hogwarts, congratulating us for finally putting a home together for Harry."

"Well, Albus can use his own home, as you said. He won't get access to the Burrow like that. I don't trust some of the Order members to not try and run off with some of our things; or to follow visiting protocol. I saw what they were like last summer when we stayed with you. I will not have that here! Bill, we will need to add a floo password of our own. Is that something you can do?" Remus and Sirius were happy to see Molly come to their defense. They knew how much Harry cared for her, and knew that by making this decision for Harry she would do all that she could to help. "I'll write Albus now and let him know that the Burrow is not available for the Order's use. We simply do not have the space, time, or funds to have meetings here. I'll also suggest he make use of the Dumbledore home or Hogwarts."

"I'll get started on the floo once Dad gets back home from the Ministry. It wouldn't do to lock him out of his own home." Bill leaned back into his chair and finished his cup of tea.

"Now that that is all taken care of, Bill could you look over these and tell us what you think?" Sirius asked placing documents on the table in front of Bill.

* * *

"I'm glad that all of you were free tonight. We wanted to ask you a something and see if any of you could use our brand of magic. Soulmates have been known to be able to use some of our magic so we want to see if any of you can." Ryosuke wrapped an arm around Harry while looking at everyone else gathered in the room.

"We first would like to know if you are willing to provide information about this wizarding war that is happening. If you are willing to provide neutral and un-biased information, please inform your _sukidoushi_. They will then inform their superiors. We are collecting this information because a few things were brought to our attention. We do not, at this time, plan to act on this information but we would like to be more informed. Any amount of information you can provide will be helpful." Suzaka stated before he left the room. Ryosuke and Minato were more than capable of teaching these wizards and witch the message globe. If they could pick that up then other spells would be discussed. But for now, the message globe was the easiest thing for them to try and learn; and the easiest for those two to teach. Anything more and he would see about providing extra help.

"Now that that is out of the way. Who has tried to access their core before?" Minato asked watching with blue eyes as Neville, Luna, and Blaise raised their hands. "And who was successful?" Naoya beamed at the fact that Luna was the only student to continue having their hand raised.

"We shall start there then. By understanding your own magic and how it feels, you can learn how to feel others'. From there we can work on having you receive message globes. After learning how to receive and interpret the message globes you will then learn how to send one. Message globes are the easiest of Joukriger magic to learn and many soulmates are able to do so. If you cannot learn how to send and receive a message globe you will be unable to pick up anything else we try to teach you." Minato explained. "Is there anyone who has not meditated before?" Fred and George raised their hands while looking shocked at Harry.

"When Snape tried to teach me Occlumency I learned meditation. Or at least tried to. It was a little hard to learn from a book. Snape didn't bother to teach me." Harry shrugged at their looks.

"Hm. We'll split the group for now. Ryosuke, Junpei, and Koyo will work with Harry, Fred, and George on the basics of meditation. Naoya, Kazuma, and Shoko will start with Luna, Blaise, and Neville on finding their cores once they have started meditating. Once Harry, Fred, and George have learned to meditate they will then start searching for their cores." Minato started to walk around the room dimming the lights to a gentle glow. Everyone moved off to different sections of the room to start.

Ryosuke led Harry to a corner and sat them down in a pile of pillows across from each other.

"When you were practicing on your own what were you doing?" Ryosuke asked as Harry got comfortable.

"The books said to remove all thoughts from your mind. Snape kept telling me to clear my mind as well, but whenever I tried thoughts kept coming in."

"Instead of focusing on removing thoughts, try to focus on something calming. Waves lapping at the sand, a flame, a quite forest, a silent library. Anything that is calming for you."

"Flying?" Harry asked trying to think of things that seemed calming to him while starting into Ryosuke's brown eyes.

"Sure. Close your eyes and focus on that. But when you focus on it, don't think of Quidditch games. Think of flying through the air gently, a light wind pushing you along, nothing down below but for open fields. Above you is a clear sky." Ryosuke directed Harry gently. "You're flight might start rocky, that is the other thoughts trying drag you to them. Ignore them. You are an exceptional flier. Those pockets of air can't deter you from your goal. The more you fly with your skill, the smaller those pockets become until your flight is smooth."

-Nanananananananananananananananananana-

AN: [HEADS UP! The next few updates will be further apart. I'm moving forward in my job search, which means interviews, fly backs, and other things. Next week specifically I am flying to a different state for an interview so the new chapter postings will be delayed while that is happening.]

Mom Wealsey is on Harry's side, ie anything positive for Harry is good in her books. Also, I wrote the Joukriger/Wizard pair in order, to give a clear idea of which Joukriger belongs to which HP character. This was supposed to be 3 sections but it turned into 2. Poor Draco will just need to wait until next chapter. So, I know nothing about meditation but have been that focusing on something calming helps, and that calming thing is different for person. I figured it would flying for Harry.

 _Sukidoushi_ – (好き同氏) soul mates

NEW POLL: Snape – Good or Evil or Neutral?

Good:1

Evil:

Neutral: 14 (I love how everyone have explained their reasoning very clearly. Some I took to mean natural – ie "Harry's side" votes. Also thank you to 'Random Vote' for your vote. Lol, This made me think that 'Random Vote' just showed up to look for polls)

Remember to mention some scenes you'd like to see. Also still looking for help with the sexier scenes. If you are fine with how the scenes are now then let me know too, it just means you are unlikely to read anything more explicit.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. So are favs, kudos, follows, pms, and subscribes. Flames or negative reviews are fed to the plot bunnies to keep them multiplying (ie they help me with what I am missing). Please let me know if something doesn't make sense, it is how I know to add a scene with more info in it.

For those who were curious my other story is going well. I might end up posting it soon if it keeps coming along so quickly and not interfere with this one. Currently trying to think of a name for it too.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ translated below

 **Word** is written word

-Nananananananananananananana-

Draco set down the letter from home and looked back at the letter he received from Gringotts that morning. 'I can't believe she is trying to make use of MY trust vault from the Black-Malfoy contract. That vault is for my use only. Just because she can't access the Malfoy vaults with father in Azkaban, she has no right to try to access mine.'

Draco looked back at his mother's letter, skimming through it again.

… **guarantee from allies….father will return home soon….betrothal to Parkinson will NOT be broken….access to Malfoy vaults denied by Ministry Law….need to use the Black-Malfoy contract vault….will be having an important guest during the holidays so be sure to behave properly….**

"Doesn't she realize that I don't actually have legal say over that vault to give her access? When she signed that contract it made it so only the Head of the Black Family and any Malfoy Heir had access; but only the Black Family could grant others entrance." Draco muttered to himself. "I couldn't let her in even if I wanted to."

All he could read from her letter was despair and a negative view of the future. So much for breaking the contract with Parkinson. The 'important guest' was worrisome as well, if that was who he was thinking of. He would get no peace at home and would be forced to fight for the Dark Lord's ideals. The letter from Gringotts was only slightly more interesting to get.

 **Heir Draco Malfoy,**

 **We, at Gringotts Bank, are writing to inform you, in accordance to Banking Law V6-932-2L, that someone has tried multiple times to gain access to your vault, B-M Heir Vault 423. As you are aware, only the Lord of the Black Family and the Heir the vault is assigned to can gain access. So rest assured, your vault has not been breached.**

 **The person trying to gain access, through multiple means, has been:**

 **Narcissa Malfoy nee Black.**

 **We, at Gringotts, highly recommend you contact this person and tell them to desist or face the consequences laid out in Banking Law I2-99-4C-1L. If this person does not comply with the Laws agreed upon by the Wizarding Ministry and the Goblin Bank, then they shall be jailed and fined.**

 **A copy of this message has been sent to the current Lord Black, Sirius Black. If you wish to discuss anything regarding this situation contact Lord Black.**

 **May your enemies die slowly,**

 **Gringotts Bank**

'I should probably contact Lord Black and tell him I don't want her to gain access. Although, considering he disowned her he probably wouldn't grant access period. It would be good to contact him to make sure I keep access to the vault and assure him that I am not using the money to fund the war on either side.' Draco leaned back into his desk chair. 'It's a good thing I didn't open either of these while down in the common room. Up here only Theodore and Blaise would try to read my letters.' Reaching into the desk draw to his right, Draco pulled out a fresh piece of parchment and a quill. As he got ready to dip the quill into the ink he noticed the Malfoy crest at the top of the letter parchment he pulled out.

"Shit." Placing the quill down, he left the room and headed towards the common room.

"Theodore!" Draco spotted the other Slytherin sitting in front of the fire.

"Yes?" Theo looked up from his book at Draco.

"Do you have any plain letter parchment?" Draco asked quietly trying to not draw any more attention than his yell across the room did.

"I should. What do you need it for?" Theo closed his book and started walking back to their dorm.

"I need to send a letter to Lord Black. It would look better coming on non-Malfoy parchment." Draco explained.

"Finally choosing your side?" Theo looked back over his shoulder.

"Yes. I'll need to find Blaise later and ask for shelter." Draco nodded his head as they entered and warded the room from listeners.

"What made up your mind?" Theo handed parchment over from his desk.

"You're welcome to look at the latest letter from mother dearest." Draco waved the letter back to Theodore. The room was quiet beside the scratch of the quill on parchment as Draco started his letter.

"I'm guessing this important guest, her trying to access your vaults, and not being able to break off of the betrothal are what pushed you to decide." Theodore set the letter back on to Draco's desk. "By becoming neutral and running from your family, the betrothal will be broken. You're also likely to be disowned by your father when he gets out."

"I'm aware. However, that is preferred to the situation if I do nothing. Also, a Malfoy cannot be disowned unless there is another to become heir. Father won't be able to fully disown me because of the Malfoy family rules and magic won't let it go through. He can cut me off and deny me entrance and use of the family name, but unless he and mother are able to have another child I will take over the family name when he dies." Draco read over his letter to Sirius Black once before sealing it up.

"Want to use my owl? Yours is easily recognized as a Malfoy one after all."

"Thank you. After I send this I should find Blaise. You are going to his Manor in Italy for the break correct? Maybe I can join you there." Draco grabbed his Slytherin robes as he headed to the door.

"He should be in the Joukriger rooms. Blaise mentioned he was going there after lunch today." Theo watched as Draco left the room. He really didn't envy Draco this position of having to choose between his family and the war. He, at least, never liked his family, so he had no issue abandoning them to their folly and turning neutral.

* * *

'Draco is spending too much time with Nott and Zabini! They're starting to put strange ideas into his head. Before them he would have been more ecstatic about our betrothal. I need to turn their attention away before they steal him from me and the Dark Lord's side. But how?'

Pansy wondered to herself as she walked down the corridor. As she walked she made sure to sneer at any Mudblood or traitor she passed while keeping a look of disdain on her face. It wouldn't do to have those fools believe that they were equal to her. They weren't going to be the future Lady Malfoy, richest Pureblood after the war.

At the corner leading off to the Charms classroom Pansy passed by a few Hufflepuffs that were chatting about the Joukriger they were getting to be friends with. 'As if a real witch would want to sully themselves with the creatures.' Pansy thought with sneering at the 4th years. She walked a bit further down the hall before suddenly stopping, causing a few students who had been walking behind her to dodge around her still form with a few grumbles.

'That's it! I can start a rumor that the creature who Zabini is with is sleeping with other students! That will keep Zabini busy and away from Draco. He'll likely pull in Nott for assistance which will free Draco completely from their influence. Once he is free he'll stop with this neutral thoughts and breaking off the betrothal nonsense and start planning the wedding with me. He may even sleep with me now as a thank you for freeing him! If we have a child now, we can get married earlier and have many children to help the Dark Lord!'

'Now who to choose for the students. I'll need the rumor and act to be in a highly visible spot so that Zabini doesn't realize it's coming from me. I'll need one or two gullible students as well as one or two others that dislike Zabini. Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws should do nicely.'

The Hufflepuffs were startled out of their conversation when Pansy started laughing to herself. Slowly they backed away from the Slytherin upper year, trying not to gain her attention. Who knew what the older Slytherins would do when they went crazy.

* * *

Minato looked around the room with his brown eyes watching as all of the couples fell into meditation for the fifth day in a row. Everyone was getting faster at reaching the necessary level of meditation to access their core. Indeed that was what he was going to have them try today, once everyone was fully settled. A few minutes later, everyone was ready.

"While keeping at your current level start looking for a bright pulse. It will be a different color, size, and intensity for everyone." Minato let his voice only get high enough to trickle into the wizards' and witch's subconscious. He didn't want to pull them out of their meditation, but direct them to find their core. "Once you find the source of that pulse, gently touch it."

It was easy to see who in the students was successful. Neville soon started to glow an earthy green followed ten minutes later by Blaise in a violet purple. Minato shot a warning look to Kazuma as he shifted closer to Blaise, while bringing his own dark purple glow to view. Kazuma ignored Minato and slowly stretched his core aurora towards Blaise's. Not allowing them to touch, but close enough to see the colors side by side.

"Mates really do share similar colors." Kazuma whispered in amazement. Minato could only shake his head at how young Kazuma sounded in his surprise. He then turned his attention back to the students and watched as Luna started glowing a bright canary yellow, thirty minutes after they started trying. George quickly followed three minutes later with a light tan. However, Fred and Harry seemed to have trouble keeping their burnt orange and sunset red glows. Both of them would start to glow but couldn't keep the glow steady. Fifteen minutes later Fred stabilized his glow, Harry continued to have issues.

"Alright, let the pulse go and come back to full attention." Minato spoke and watched as everyone stopped glowing. "All of you were able to find your cores. Harry and Fred, you both seemed to have trouble keeping in touch with it. However, Fred you were able to figure it out at the end. What was going on?" George shot a curious look at his twin.

"When I saw it I couldn't figure out what it reminded me of, which distracted me until I figured it out." Fred shrugged.

"What was it?" George asked.

"The first joke potion we created." Fred grinned over at his twin.

"Harry?" Minato prodded when Harry didn't answer.

"Something kept calling my attention elsewhere." Harry said looking contemplative.

"Something, _koi_?" Ryosuke placed a hand on Harry's back.

"That will continue to happen until the wackspurt is taken care of." Luna piped up from her position across from Naoya.

"You're saying something is blocking his ability to access his core?" Ryosuke looked over at the young blonde.

"Yes, but it will go away soon. The process has already started." Luna smiled over at Harry. "Come Christmas it will no longer be a problem."

" _Satoshiojisan ga sagashiteiru koto kana."_ Ryosuke muttered loud enough for only Minato to hear him.

" _Kamoshirenai kouteishi. Kono ato de kiiteimasu._ " Minato replied eyeing Luna thoughtfully. "We'll stop here today. When you get the chance, practice finding your cores. Once you get that down you can practice reaching out to it."

"Ryosuke, I got a letter from Sirius yesterday. Would you like to come back with me for the break coming up? Or do you have to stay in the castle?" Harry asked as Ryosuke and he stood to stretch from sitting in one position for a while.

"Your godparents are alright with me being there? For how long?" Ryosuke dropped an arm around Harry.

"They are. They said to invite you for the whole break if you are available. Will go with me?" Harry wrapped his arms around Ryosuke's waist.

"I'm sure it won't be a problem. I'll let Suzaka know what the plans are. It is likely that Minato at least will need to come as well."

"Ok. I'll let Sirius know." Harry smiled up at Ryosuke before pulling him down enough to kiss.

"So mushy!" Harry looked over to see Blaise sticking out his tongue in fake disgust.

"If you wanted your tongue longer, you should have said!" George exclaimed before Harry could respond.

"We would have brought some tongue taffy for you!" Fred started searching his pockets. Blaise sucked his tongue back into mouth at Koyo and Junpei's laughs.

"No worries _aibou_ , they won't actually do anything to your tongue. I rather like it as it is after all." Kazuma grinned evilly over at the twins. "Koyo and Junpei also know better than to let them do anything."

Harry couldn't help but laugh along with Neville when the twins turned to their soulmates with betrayed looks.

-Nanaananananananananananananananananananananana-

AN: (EDIT 12/1: I'm am so SORRY, in the documents I upload here there are dashed lines between scenes. Apparently ff doesn't like those so I will make a new marker. I have updated all chapters with the new marker.)

Before anyone starts wondering, the Order meeting was cancelled because Dumbledore was unable to find another spot. There will be meeting in a future chapter but the one called last chapter was cancelled.

So all of the scenes this chapter take place at about the same time. Yes, Pansy is crazy and deluded and her plan is a small plot thing that will be in at least one more chapter if not 2. Thank you to the reviewer who asked for something more than just sex between Blaise and Kazuma. Have some drama to go with your request. Lol. I hope you enjoy this little side plot.

Like I mentioned last chapter the next few will be delayed. I'm being flown out to a different state for a job interview which will take 2-3 days from my writing time which means delayed writing, which leads to delayed postings. So it is likely that you won't have Chpt 21 until around this time next week. .

NEW POLL: Snape – Good or Evil or Neutral?

Good: 3

Evil:

Neutral: 16

EYE COLORS REVEALED: Remember each color has 2 emotions with it.

Black – frustration/concern

Silver – annoyance/disgust

Blue – happy/excitement

Green – lust/love

Brown – calm/neutral

Gold – embarrassed/surprised

Red – fear/anger

 _Koi_ – (恋) love

 _Satoshiojisan ga sagashiteiru koto kana._ – (さとし叔父さんが探していることかな.) I wonder if this the thing that Uncle Satoshi is looking into.

 _Kamoshirenai kouteishi. Kono ato de kiiteimasu._ – (かもしれない皇帝子。この後で聞いています.) It may be, crown prince. I'll ask after this.

 _Aibou_ – (相棒) partner

Remember to mention some scenes you'd like to see.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. So are favs, kudos, follows, pms, and subscribes. Flames or negative reviews are fed to the plot bunnies to keep them multiplying (ie they help me with what I am missing). Please let me know if something doesn't make sense, it is how I know to add a scene with more info in it.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ translated below

 **Word** is written word

-Nananananananananananananana-

"Alright class, settle down." Minerva called out as she entered the classroom from her office when the bell rang. Walking to her desk she waited one more minute for everyone to finish getting their quills and paper out. "We're starting a new segment this week that will continue throughout the rest of the year and into the start of your 7th. This is a new segment approved by the Ministry two years ago for 6th Year Transfiguration students. The results of this segment will be documented in your NEWTS." With a wave of her wand, Minerva sent a piece of chalk to the blackboard to write out the words: **AMINAGUS TRANSFIGURATION**.

"You will be learning the process this year, start on the steps needed, and transform next year. None of you will be transforming on your own. If I catch a student working on the application process on their own, trying to transform outside of this class, or forcing others to do so they will be punished harshly. This is a dangerous transformation process and must be carefully monitored at all steps. If you do not have the ability to transform you will instead be given a side project to work on. However, all students must learn about this process in order to be able to answer questions about it on their NEWTS." Minerva gazed around the room of students. With this being a mixed class with students from all houses she didn't need anyone to start problems at this stage in their education.

"All of my rules are to be followed when we are going over this, any who find themselves incapable of following the rules will be suspended and removed from this class as a danger to their fellow students. For those who are looking for jobs with a Transfiguration NEWTS requirement, they should do their best at not being kicked out of the class.

"This first class, will be spent seeing which of you has the potential to become an animagus. The spell we will be doing only shows whether or not the person carries the ability, not what animal they will become. From now until the Christmas break you will be learning about the process, the steps to take, and how to go about finding your animal. Even the students without the potential will be learning this information as it will be on the NEWTS test. The last day of class will be spent teaching you how to meditate. Meditation is useful in many different subjects, so even if you cannot turn you can use the information for other magic.

"Now, everyone pull out your books and turn to page 198 and read the section on the animagus revealing spell. Once everyone is done, we will start practicing the spell and performing it if we have time. Before the next class is done I expect all of you to be able to perform the spell and check for your potential."

Forty minutes later, as the last Ravenclaw set down their quill, Minerva stood and moved in front of her desk.

"Now that everyone has read the section, let's go over the wand movements. Like the chapter mentioned, for this spell you start with your wand pointed at the foot of the person. As you draw your wand up their body to the top of their heads, you make circles clockwise. The speed in which you move your wand and say the spell needs to match the length of the person. A shorter person requires faster upward movement than a tall person. The circles you make with your wand need to be the same size, about twelve centimeters in diameter. There is a little room for variations but keep the circles between eleven and thirteen centimeters. Find a partner and practice the wand movement." Minerva watched as students started to pair up.

It was interesting to see some inter-house pairings. Some pairings, like Ronald and Hermione, were not so shocking. However, Neville and Blaise, as well as Harry and Theodore, and Draco with a Ravenclaw were. It was good to see the Gryffindors and Slytherins finally start to put their past feuds behind them and focus on school. 'Maybe there was something to Dumbledore's claims of House Unity at every beginning of the year feast.'

"Ms. Parkinson, is there an issue here?" Minerva called out as she made her way to the Slytherin who kept interrupting Draco's partner as they tried to practice the wand movements.

"Professor, please inform this student that Draco and I are partnered together and she needs to find someone else." Pansy sniffed, glaring at the Ravenclaw.

"From what I could see Ms. Parkinson, Mr. Malfoy asked Ms. Merryweather to be his partner in this exercise. If you cannot find a partner I shall pair you up with Ms. Bulstrode and Ms. Turpin. The three of you ladies can help each other out." Pansy stared in shock at the Professor.

"But Professor! Draco and I are partners!"

"Not this time Ms. Parkinson. If you keep arguing you will get a 0 for today's class points and a detention. Now, let's let Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Merryweather get back to their work. This way." Pansy could do nothing but to follow Minerva to the other side of the room. Once she set the Slytherin with the other Slytherin girls to work Minerva started moving around the room checking the student's progress.

"Good Ms. Granger. Three points to Gryffindor. Your circles tend to get smaller as you go up, you want to keep them constant.

"Mr. Davis, toe to head, not head to toe. Try again.

"Mr. Finnegan and Mr. Thomas, this is not the time to practice your Charms work. Get your heads back into the class. Two points from Gryffindor each.

"Ms. Merryweather, you're going too fast for Mr. Malfoy's size. Take your time, there is no need to rush. Just get the movements down for now.

"Well done Mr. Zabini. Five points to Slytherin.

"Very good Ms. Griffin. Five points to Hufflepuff. Why don't you help your partner get the sizing down?" A few more rounds around the classroom finally saw all of the students doing the wand movements correctly.

"Alright everyone, settle down. Your homework for next class is a half a meter report on what can go wrong with the animagus transformation. No need to include how to fix what went wrong, just what can go wrong. You are to also practice the wand movements with a willing 6th or 7th year. Next class we will start with the wand movements and pronunciation of the spell. Since we didn't have time to do so today, we will reveal who has the potential next class. Dismissed." Minerva finished just as the school chime, ending classes, sounded. Students hurried to pack their bags and make their way to their next class, commenting on who they believed would have the potential to become an animagus.

* * *

"We are starting to learn about the animagus transformation and how to transform if we have the potential." Harry gasped out as Ryosuke sucked on his neck while sliding Harry's shirt and tie off.

"Are you?" Ryosuke asked distractedly. He pulled Harry closer and slid a hand into his hair. With a slight tug, Ryosuke repositioned Harry's head to offer better access to his neck; which he then proceeded to cover in open mouthed kisses.

"We practiced the reveal spell movements today and are supposed to do the spell next class." Harry could only hold on to the wall that was suddenly behind him, as Ryosuke started to kiss down his chest, paying extra attention to his nipples. "I think these lessons we are doing in the Joukriger Common Room have helped Inter-House unity as well."

"Have they?" Ryosuke reached out and loosened Harry's belt, slowly pulling it from the belt loops.

"In today's lesson Slytherins and Gryffindors were partnering up to practice the spell." Harry bit his lip trying to hold back a moan as Ryosuke unzipped his school trousers. "I'm trying to tell you things."

"And I'm trying to distract you." Ryosuke replied cheekily as he placed a hand on Harry's erection. "I think I'm winning."

A gentle knock to the door of Ryosuke's chambers knocked both of them back to the present. Harry was only supposed to come in, talk to Ryosuke for a few minutes, and then rejoin the others for further lessons.

"I'll go delay them for a few minutes. Rest here and the come and join us once you've got your legs back." Ryosuke kissed Harry once again before leaving the room, making sure that whoever knocked wouldn't be able to see Harry on the floor.

"Are you done?" Minato asked as Ryosuke exited the room. "You should be aware that I threw a silence spell at the door when you started. If any of the others had come for you they would not have been nice enough to do that. I sent them all to start meditating. You should join them. Harry will as well when he finally leaves your room."

"You have my thanks Minato. Harry wouldn't be happy if others knew. I didn't even think to silence the rooms." Ryosuke walked over to an empty cushion and started to meditate like the others. He kept his awareness high enough to notice when Harry joined him before he relaxed into a deep meditation needed to reach his core. Today Minato wanted everyone to find their cores again before starting the students on receiving messages globes.

As soon as everyone was able to access their cores, even though Harry still had trouble holding it, Minato brought everyone back to full awareness.

"Good. Now that you understand what your magic feels like it is time to practice receiving. Each Joukriger will think of a simple message, as agreed on yesterday, to send to the students. When a message globe reaches you, reach hand out to touch it." Minato started to walk around the room and stopped at each couple.

"This should be easy for you _Tenshi_." Naoya sent a golden globe to drift its way to the blonde Ravenclaw with a smile. Luna reached a finger out once the globe came to a stop before her. Instantly she was filled with warmth and love. Like a soft blanket was being draped across her shoulders while sitting in front of a fire drinking hot chocolate. With a serene smile she danced over to Naoya and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"I love you too."

"Keep practicing a few more messages. You have it though. Next lesson for you will be creating one." Minato made his way over to where the twins were working.

"I bet I can get the message before you." George called out to Fred.

"No way! I'm the better twin so obviously I will get it first."

"I got to my core first so obviously I'm better."

"I'll bet you a pound of chocolate that I get it first."

"Deal." Before the twins could tease each other further Minato brought them back to task.

"You'll both be last unless you try now." With a nod at Junpei and Koyo, Minato stood back and watched as an orange globe and a light brown one made their way to their recipient.

"Looks like Fred will be getting that chocolate." Minato remarked as Fred received the message from the orange globe. George, on the other hand, was getting nothing if the look of his face was any indication. "George, work with Koyo on figuring out the difference between your core and the magic in the globe. Try also working with feeling the differences in yours and Fred's magic. That might help you become sensitive enough to receive the globe. We'll try the globe again next time but for now focus on finding the differences."

As Minato made his way to Harry and Ryosuke it was unsurprising to him to see Harry easily accept the message.

"It is good to see that whatever is blocking your access to your core is weaker than your magic sensing abilities. Hopefully this will also work in your favor when making a globe to send. For now keep practicing with Ryosuke."

"Thank you Minato, for the spell." Harry muttered with a blush before Minato could move away.

"No reason to thank me for doing what is right Harry. Just be more aware next time. Or better yet, don't start that before a lesson." Harry nodded his head with a blush as Minato moved on to Blaise and Kazuma who seemed to be having the same trouble as George. Looking around the room Harry was surprised to see that Luna and Neville as well as Fred, seem to have little trouble accepting multiple message globes from their partners. Harry was sure that if the others in their year knew that Neville could easily use another creature's magic they would be surprised. No one ever expected much from him in classes except for in Herbology, where he was the best in their year.

-Nanananananananananananananana-

AN: There is more to that scene between Ryosuke and Harry to be found on AO3. It was removed from FF to follow their protocols.

This was originally going to have 3 sections as well but Draco is once again pushed back to the next chapter. Which will work alright because it will turn into a series of letters between a few different people, so we'll just have a chapter full of that. n_n

Just an FYI on the timelines for last chapter to this one to the next. They are all happening within days of each other. Last chapter was all in the same day. This chapter is one or two days later. Next chapter is the same time as this up to a few days later. So parts of next chapter, could in theory, be at the same time as this chapter. I just want you to keep that in mind while reading these chapters.

NEW POLL: Snape – Good or Evil or Neutral?

Good: 3

Evil:

Neutral: 17

EYE COLORS REVEALED: Remember each color has 2 emotions with it.

Black – frustration/concern

Silver – annoyance/disgust

Blue – happy/excitement

Green – lust/love

Brown – calm/neutral

Gold – embarrassed/surprised

Red – fear/anger

Remember to mention some scenes you'd like to see.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. So are favs, kudos, follows, pms, and subscribes. Flames or negative reviews are fed to the plot bunnies to keep them multiplying (ie they help me with what I am missing). Please let me know if something doesn't make sense, it is how I know to add a scene with more info in it.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

 _Word_ \- translated below

 **Word** \- written word being read by the person

Word - written word being written by the person

(This chapter is going to have letters going between people. When person A is reading a letter the words will be **BOLD**. When person A is writing the letter the words will be normal. For example the first POV is Sirius reading and then responding to a letter.)

-Nanananananananananananananaan-

 **Dear Lord Sirius Black,**

 **I am writing to you about the B-M Heir Vault 423 and the multiple denied entries to my mother, Narcissa Malfoy nee Black. I would like to take this time to assure you that I have not given her permission to use that money, nor do I want her to have permission to use that money. I am very much aware of what she would do with the money if she had access to it and I do not want that to happen any more than you do.**

 **It is my hope that you keep the vault open and available for me. As you can see in the attached documents I have made little use of the vault money so far. Most of the withdrawls go toward birthday and winter presents for friends as well as chocolate for final exam stress relief. Currently, my goal is to have that money as a backup in case anything goes wrong and I have no access to my current Malfoy vault.**

 **Denying Narcissa Malfoy access to the B-M Heir Vault 423 may in fact lead to a situation where I am cut off from the Malfoy vault. Especially with the next steps I am planning on taking in going Neutral. It is my hope that this vault remains available to me.**

 **Respectfully yours,**

 **Draco Malfoy, Heir of the Malfoy Family**

Dear Heir Draco Malfoy,

The fact that you are not asking for your mother to gain access to that vault, as well as the proof of how you are using the money, has reassured me of your intentions. I will not close the vault, nor add any permissions to it. Therefore, you and I are the only ones able to gain access to the financials and money connected with the vault.

If you are truly going Neutral in this war, the vault will stay open to you for you to use as you need. However, if the money, at any time, goes towards helping Lord Voldemort or his followers than you will be cut off, and the vault will be closed.

If you need any help, once you have gone Neutral, you can write my partner, Remus Lupin, or myself. We shall do what we can to help but it may not be exactly what you asked for. We are limited by our positions and connections after all.

We are glad that you are looking after yourself,

Lord Sirius Black

* * *

 **Dear Padfoot and Moony,**

 **I talked with Ryosuke today and he said he would be glad to come for the whole break. He will be letting his uncles and father know of the plan. Ryosuke also wanted me to tell you that it is likely that at least Minato will be required to come with him considering his position.**

 **In other news, we started learning about Animagus in Transfiguration and will be covering them until part way through next year. Apparently that information is a part of NEWTS now and if we are successful in changing we are required to document it with the Ministry at the end of the tests. That's a bit annoying, but I'm excited to learn what I will change into. You might need to come up with a new name for me.**

 **Ron's looking to start a Chess Club with a few other students in the spring. He's getting tired of beating all of the Gryffindors who will still play him. He's hoping that some Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs will join and give him a challenge. Neville mentioned it to Blaise Zabini the other day and Blaise said that Theodore Nott, who is Neutral, and Malfoy would probably be interested. I don't see Ron playing against Malfoy the way things are now, but I'm sure he will play Nott.**

 **See you in a few weeks,**

 **Harry**

Prongslet,

No matter what form you take you will always be Prongslet to us. After all you are Prong's son. The benefit of being registered with the Ministry is that there are less chances that something like Pettigrew will happen again. When I went and registered all they wanted was name, first successful change date, and brief description of animal. So if you, say, turn into an owl all you would have to write is 'owl', not necessarily what kind.

We will gladly have more than Ryosuke come. It would be easy to finish cleaning out a few extra rooms for them to use. Just let us know what the final count is a few days before break and we'll get it all set up.

It would be good for Ron to have more chess opponents. Ravenclaws and Slytherins are likely to give him the most challenge with their complex ways of thinking. Some Hufflepuffs could as well, but he is almost certainly going to find his toughest opponents in the Ravens or Snakes.

When you get back we'll want to do some shopping to finish decorating your new room. We've left it rather blank for now so that you can change the color as you'd like and choose your decorations. So start thinking of what colors you might like to have and anything else you would want for your permanent room. We don't have to get it all now, but a few things at least.

See you in a few weeks,

Remus and Sirius

* * *

 **Dear Hermione,**

 **Sirius and I heard from Harry that you are going abroad with your family for winter break this year. We are hoping that we might be able to steal a bit of your time at the beginning or the end of your trip.**

 **Harry informed us about your idea for Wizard Classes, and I remember you asking about them in your 2** **nd** **year. Sirius and I would like to sit down with you and write out a proposal to go before the Board of Governors.**

 **Please let us know your current ideas so that we can put together a rough draft before the break for all of us to then go over. Talk with your parents and let us know if we might be able to take you for a day. We will be sure to pick you up and drop you off at either the beginning or end of the holidays.**

 **Remus**

Professor Lupin,

It is great to hear from you. I hope you and Sirius are well there in Grimmauld. Harry has been telling Ron and I about your remodeling project. The house sounds like a much nicer place to be now.

I've contacted my parents and they are alright with me going over there the last two days of break as long as you get me to Kings Cross on time. Something that I'm sure will not be a problem with wizards' travel options.

Some topics I believe should be covered in a Wizard Class, in no particular order, are as follows:

Politics

Law

Banking

Humanoid Magical Creatures and their relationship to Wizards

Special Ceremonies

When we meet up I can go over details in each topic. While we are on this subject I highly suggest that the Muggle Class be updated. Much of the information taught in that class is at best 15 years old. There are many current inventions in the Muggle world that are not being covered in that class that should be, considering how prominent they are in the Muggle world. However, we can look into that while I am there as well.

Hermione

* * *

 _ **Otousama he,**_

 **Harry and his guardians have formally invited me to join them during Harry's school break. Suzaka** _ **ojisama**_ **sees no issue with this but I thought I would check in with you as well. Harry is aware, and informing his guardians, that at least Minato would need to come. Am I required to take anyone else with me?**

 **Satoshi** _ **ojisama**_ **will of course be welcome to come when he is ready for the removal. Can that happen at Harry's guardians' home or will Harry need to go to** _ **Ijutsukan**_ **?**

 **Minato** _ **yori**_

 _Waga Musuko he,_

You may join your _sukidoushi_ for his break. You will take Minato as your _keibihei_. After consulting with Satoshi _gitei_ , he will join you there for a few days before and after the ritual. However, if something goes wrong, or he doesn't believe that the house is properly prepared for such a ritual, you will all return here to do it in _Ijutsukan_.

Yuusuke _yori_

* * *

 **Mother,**

 **Kazuma and Theodore will both be joining us for the break as planned. Another room will need to be set up for another friend, however. They have decided to go Neutral and thus will need sanctuary from their family and their family's ties for the length of the break if not longer.**

 **After we arrive I suggest a change in our wards and passwords to insure everyone's continued safety.**

 **I'm greatly looking forward to this break and meeting your newest paramour.**

 **Blaise,**

Darling,

Like I told Draco last summer, he is always welcomed at our villa. Be sure to take the usual routes when coming down from the train station. Stop by the beach on your way as well. The water should still be warm enough to walk along. Send your bags ahead and we can all meet up at your favorite restaurant for dinner at the usual time.

Keep me informed of any plan changes. Much love to everyone.

Mother

* * *

 **Headmaster Dumbledore,**

 **I don't know how many different ways you would like me to inform you, but you cannot use the Weasley Family House for Order Meetings. Yes, protections have been added to the property to keep uninvited and unexpected guests out.**

 **As you have stated in your many letters, we are in a war. Basic protections are required to keep my family and home safe.**

 **Making our home available for the Order to use will require finances, space, and protections that the Weasley family does not have.**

 **Thank you for your most recent letter of concern concerning our newest wards.**

 **Molly Weasley**

 **Headmaster Dumbledore,**

 **Might I suggest, that instead of asking an Order member who has repeatedly turned you down with valid reasons, you ask another member who can help?**

 **I'm sure that Auror's Shacklebolt and Moody can help you in locating a space big enough, secure enough, and with the funds needed to become the new Headquarters. I'll bring this idea up with a few members that I meet with and see what solutions to your problem we can find. I'm sure you will agree that with having more people thinking on this problem, a solution will present itself quickly.**

 **Have a great evening,**

 **Molly Weasley**

 **Headmaster Dumbledore,**

 **I have included a bill for 400 galleons for the use of post owls here for you to pay, current rate of 10 galleons per one-way trip from Ottery St Catchpole to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy. As you know our family owl Errol is rather old and cannot make multiple trips up to Hogwarts in a day. And since the owls you send do not want to stick around for a reply, post owls have been used.**

 **The following bill will increase with each use of post owl. If you do not wish for this to increase, I suggest that you stop sending us 10 letters a day.**

 **Molly Weasley**

* * *

 **Dear Professor McGonagall,**

 **I realize this might put an extra burden on top of your duties as Deputy Headmistress. However, I request that all future correspondences pertaining to the Weasley family and their association as students of Hogwarts come from you. I shall be burning all letters received from the Headmaster starting now since he insists on using Official Hogwarts parchment to inundate me with requests regarding the Order and NOT Hogwarts business.**

 **I hope you are having a great day,**

 **Molly Weasley**

Molly,

I will take over sending you any Hogwarts related issues.

Thank you for bringing this to my attention,

Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor,

Minerva McGonagall

* * *

 **I have heard that the Slytherin Blaise Zabini has used you for his own gain. If you would like to get back at him for this, meet in the unused classroom two doors down from the Defense Classroom at 8pm on Monday.**

 **If rumors are to be believed, the Joukriger Kazuma has been sending glances at you. Unfortunately he is currently stuck in a relationship. However, rumor is that if you were to approach him, he will respond favorably. On Thursdays he is always waiting outside of the Great Hall just before lunch to catch a glimpse of you and he seems partial to chocolates. I can have a box delivered to you by Thursday morning. Just give them to him on Thursday as a sign of your affection.**

 **I hear a big scandal will be going down on Thursday outside of the Great Hall just before lunch.**

-Nanananananaananananananananana-

AN: So this was a try at something new for me. I'm not sure how often I'll have something like this but I wanted to show a couple of the different letters and conversations happening with the variety of characters. Hopefully it wasn't too confusing for you. The last group is from Pansy to various unnamed students in preparation for her plan.

 **Please don't hate me but** I'll be going on a family vacation starting on Tuesday (the 15th) until after the New Year. I will continue writing during my down time and will post new chapters when I can; but updates will likely be further apart and unscheduled. We are also driving to our destination which is about 2.5-3 days of driving both ways. So it will all depend on how much I can write each day.

 _Otousama_ – (お父様) respectful form for father

 _He_ – (へ) to (location or like in a letter, so in this case the first use means 'To Father') pronounced like "eh". lol

 _Ojisama_ – (伯父さま) respectful form for uncle (because Ryosuke is talking to his father he uses the respectful forms, also since his uncles are younger than his father I'm using the 'younger brother' uncle kanji. If they were older the kanji would be different but the words the same.)

 _Ijutsukan_ – (医術館) Healing Halls

 _Yori_ – (より) from (location or like in a letter)

 _Waga_ \- (我が) my, our, our own (usually only used in respectful or old instances, not used often now)

 _Musuko_ – (息子) son

 _Sukidoushi_ – (好き同氏) soulmate

 _Keibihei_ \- (警備兵) guard (soldier)

 _Gitei_ \- (義弟) younger brother-in-law (Yuusuke is older than his twin brothers and their soulmates)

NEW POLL: Snape – Good or Evil or Neutral? **FINAL CHAPTER TO VOTE**

Good: 3

Evil:

Neutral: 18

Remember to mention some scenes you'd like to see.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. So are favs, kudos, follows, pms, and subscribes. Flames or negative reviews are fed to the plot bunnies to keep them multiplying (ie they help me with what I am missing). Please let me know if something doesn't make sense, it is how I know to add a scene with more info in it.

For those that are interested and have not found it yet: my new story "Shadow's Ward" is now posted. It is a HP/YGO crossover. I will be focusing mostly on Joukriger but will also write for this one as well.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ translated below

 **Word** is written word

-Nanananananananananananananana-

Pansy looked around the room at the collection of students that showed up just from receiving her note. A few Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, and four Slytherins. A perfect number for what she had planned. The 7th year Slytherin in the corner, if Pansy was remembering correctly, a part of a threesome with Blaise and one of the Ravenclaws in the room. He is also top of his year in Potions. 'Perfect.'

"I'm so glad that all of you showed up in such a timely manner." Pansy said, sending a smile to the students as she made her way to the front of the room. She leaned back against the teacher's desk.

"What's this plan of yours then Parkinson?" A Hufflepuff 6th Year asked.

"Oh it's quite simple, really. As you may have seen by now, Zabini is currently with one of the visiting creatures. Almost as if normal wizards are no longer good enough for him." Pansy waved a hand a bit dismissively.

"Make your point Parkinson." A 5th Year Slytherin ground out.

"With your help, a fissure can be created between them, showing Zabini that normal wizards are the much better choice." Pansy grinned.

"And what would you have us do?" The 7th Year Slytherin asked.

"I have written down a couple of different tasks for all of you. The event that will cause the fissure will happen on Thursday this week. So all of you need to do your parts correctly and on time." Pansy spoke as she started passing out slips of parchment ending with the 7th Year. "You, specifically, will need to make use of your potion skills. Brew this, mix it in with these, and pass the package to the Hufflepuff listed on the parchment by breakfast on Thursday."

"What do you get out of this Parkinson?" Another Slytherin asked after reading his own piece of parchment.

"Don't you worry about that." Pansy sneered at the questioner.

"We were warned at the feast when they arrived, to not interfere with a mate bond. Is that going to affect this?" A Ravenclaw asked.

"As if they have a mateship. No, Zabini doesn't believe in that nonsense, as you all should know. Especially considering he left all of you and not the other way around." Pansy responded flippantly. 'I bet that soul mate bond stuff was all a lie anyways to stop students from bothering the creatures. Everyone knows that those are just tales told to children. There's no such thing as soul mate bonds.'

"Does anyone have any questions regarding their task or the timing? For this to succeed everything must go to plan." Pansy called out. When no one spoke up she dismissed them and made her way from the room. 'I should talk to Draco about his recent attitude. What happened in Transfiguration last week cannot happen again. I will NOT allow him to embarrass me like that.'

* * *

Voldemort stalked down the grim and grey stone walls of the prison as his Death Eaters continued to fight the human guards out front. Turning left at an intersection on the second floor, he saw the main guard control room in front of him. There were no guards stationed outside the room, which only meant they must be hiding inside.

With a well-placed blasting curse, the door of the room blew off, piercing the bodies of the two guards in the room. Stepping over the wooden pieces littering the floor he made his way to the table in the center of the room. One guard shifted, reaching for his wand. Without looking at the wizard, Voldemort sent a killing curse off. Looking over the map on the table, he traced a finger along the parchment making mental notes of the location of each of his imprisoned followers.

Sticking out from under the right corner of the map was a document. Pulling it out, Voldemort could see that it contained a list of 'Prisoners Kissed' and 'Prisoners To Be Kissed' with corresponding dates. Glancing through the list, Voldemort very quickly picked out the names of Avery, Crabbe, and Goyle Seniors, Rockler, DuMont, McFlaggan, and Yvvia Parkinson. With a snarl of fury at the name on the top of the 'To Be Kissed' list, Voldemort grabbed a rod from the table and stalked out of the room, document clenched in one hand. 'I will not allow Malfoy to die before his usefulness ends.'

"Lestranges! Wormtail!" Voldemort called out with a Sonorus charm as he passed the main entrance. Pettigrew, Rodolphus, Rabastan, and Bellatrix hurried left their battles to catch up to their lord.

"Yes, My Lord?" All of them responded as they fell in line behind Voldemort, following him deeper into the prison, going down multiple basement levels.

"Have free Death Eaters start releasing our members. A map can be found in the control room on the second floor showing where they all are. Have them gather out front when they are released." Voldemort commanded.

"What about the other prisoners, My Lord?" Rodolphus asked.

"Kill them." Voldemort snapped out.

"Shouldn't we try to convert them?" Pettigrew asked, scurrying along behind the others.

"I said kill them." Voldemort snarled and sent an Avada Kedavra into the cell on his right, killing the man inside instantly.

"And the guards, My Lord?" Bellatrix coo'd.

"We must show them our hospitality. Gather up any still alive." Voldemort said before dismissing the husband-wife combination and Pettigrew. "Rabastan, with me. We've got some Dementors to hunt."

"Gladly, My Lord." Rabastan followed behind while shooting of a few Avada Kedavra's into random non-Death Eater cells.

It didn't take the two long to find the room set aside for prisoners to wait in before they are Kissed. Along the way they ran into a few guards and Dementors, but a few swipes of the controlling rod Voldemort had picked up, easily turned the Dementors on the guards.

"That is handy, My Lord." Rabastan said in awe as Voldemort easily took control of the Dementors.

"How else do you think the guards control the creatures without getting Kissed themselves?" Voldemort responded as he opened the door. Sitting in the center of the room, chained to the chair was Lucius Malfoy. "Comfortable Lucius?"

"Not as much as I will be, My Lord." He replied, letting out a soft sigh of relief.

"Un-chain him and then join the others." Voldemort ordered as he left the room.

"Yes, My Lord." Rabastan answered, hurrying in to free Lucius.

Voldemort, as he moved down the corridors, ensnared all of the Dementors he encountered and directed them all into a stone chamber. Once all of the Dementors were in the chamber, he commanded them to stay where they were. After confirming that they would stay, and that there were no more strays, Voldemort backed out of the room. Just before he shut the door, Voldemort sent a FiendFyre sweeping through the room. He then shut the door and barricaded it with a variety of spells and wards, ensuring that the Dementors could not leave.

With the last ward set in place, Voldemort made his way back to the front of the prison; smugly listening to the dying screams of prisoners and Dementors alike.

"Is everyone done with their tasks?" Voldemort asked, glancing over the rescued Death Eaters and captured wizards.

"Yes, My Lord," came the reply from all involved in the rescue.

"Back to base," Voldemort watched as Death Eaters apparated out, side-along apparating those who couldn't do so on their own. Once most of them had left he turned back to face the prison and shot the Dark Mark into the air to hover above the building.

* * *

"Albus, we need to talk about a few things." Minerva stated as she entered the Headmaster's office. Albus looked up from the letter he was currently writing.

"Ah, Minerva, how are you this fine morning? If you give me just one moment I'll be finished with this letter." Minerva walked up to the desk as he went back to writing and glanced down at the letter. It was addressed to Molly Weasley.

"That letter is precisely why I am here, Albus."

"Oh?" He looked up again.

"You cannot use official school parchment for non-school related issues! And this bill!" Minerva pulled out the owl rental bill from Molly," You cannot use school funds for this bill! You must use your own money." Minerva yelled at him, startling many of the portraits awake.

"This is official business Minerva." Albus went back to writing.

"Official Order business you mean."

"Yes, official business. So I use official parchment." Albus calmly explained.

"If you want to use official parchment of Order business I must insist that you get official Order parchment. In any case, you must stop using Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry parchment for non-school related items."

"You know why I can't get any for the Order. If anyone knew that the Order was real, we couldn't attack Voldemort very successfully." Albus looked amused up at the witch.

"Oh don't give me that hogwash, Albus! The Order is not a secret organization! The Ministry knows about us, the Death Eaters know us, Gringotts knows about us, even the store owners in Diagon Alley know about us! If you won't order parchment for the Order then I will."

"Don't be absurd Minerva, not everyone knows about us. I'm sure it's just the Bank, some in the Ministry, and the Death Eaters."

"Then why have Order members been receiving discounts for ice cream, potion ingredients, and pet supplies? And only, Order members." Minerva raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"No they haven't. Have they?" Albus asked surprised. "I wonder why I never got anything for free."

"The point is, Albus, you will only use Hogwarts parchment for official Hogwarts things. Not for the Order! And this bill will not be taken out of Hogwarts funds but the Orders."

"Now Minerva, the Order doesn't have the funds necessary to pay that bill. You know this." Albus chided.

"Then from your own funds it shall be." Minerva replied sweetly. "I'll be sure to stop by Gringotts and have that set up."

"Minerva!" Albus gapped.

"Albus!" Severus burst into the room, interrupting anything that Albus might have added. "We need to send healers and Ministry personnel to Azkaban now!"

"Severus, what is going on?" Minerva asked at the hunched over man.

"I hurried here as soon as I could from the meeting. Voldemort attacked Azkaban, freed his followers, and killed everyone else; including the Dementors." Severus stood up straight, after catching his breath. "The Ministry needs to be informed."

"And you couldn't do this yourself?" Minerva asked, "why waste time coming here first?"

"Because the Ministry would happily put me to trial, reveal that I am a spy, and ruin everything." Severus snapped back.

"Now, now. The news that Voldemort attacked Azkaban is indeed worrying. However, the bit about him freeing his followers and killing the Dementors is most important. Are you saying that all of the Dementors are killed?" Albus asked calmly.

"He said he gathered them into one room, sent out a Fiendfyre, and warded the room to keep them escaping." Severus reported.

"Oh dear." Minerva whispered. "We must inform the Ministry right away."

"There is no point in hurrying if everyone was killed or taken back with Voldemort. The Ministry will find out soon enough, when they send the next guard shift. No, we must figure out what to do about the followers released." Albus mused.

"He didn't say which ones were released and if any had died." Severus spoke.

"Albus, we cannot not inform the Ministry! They have a right to know and to find who might still be there." Minerva insisted.

"Minerva is right, Albus. That's why I came here so quickly once dismissed. They must be informed in order to prepare for what might follow. Not only that, but they need to figure out what else to do with prisoners." Snape reasoned.

"Nonsense. The Ministry will have plenty of time to work things out if they are informed later, after an Order Meeting or from their own guard shift change. Now, we need to figure out a location for this meeting. Sirius and Remus still have not opened Grimmauld again for our use and Molly is resisting as well. Severus, don't you have a house that you only use during summer?" Albus asked with a grandfatherly smile.

"I no longer have that house, Albus. It was sold at the beginning of summer and I moved into a One-Up-One-Down. I've barely expanded it enough to hold my potions." Severus declared. 'As if I really sold the house I've worked so hard on. The old man is not using my place for these meetings; and if lying about the size of my residence is what is needed then so be it. I will not have both the Order and Death Eaters having free reign to my house. It's bad enough that individuals from both sides know the address.'

"This is ridiculous, Albus, you have yet to explain why the Dumbledore Mansion cannot be used. Very few know its location, or that it even exists, and it is large enough to hold not only meetings in, but any member that may need short-term protection." Minerva spoke up. Many portraits behind Albus started nodding their heads in agreement.

"She's quite right, Albus," Headmaster Dippet spoke up from his frame, "the Dumbledore Mansion is the perfect location to have your meetings, and is currently sitting vacant."

"Well now, you know why that place cannot be used. With it sitting vacant for so long it is not suitable for visitors." Albus weakly argued.

"In that case, I'm sure some of the newer House Elves won't mind popping over to clean the place up." Minerva said, smiling in satisfaction. "I'll just have some head on over. They can clear out a few of the main rooms real quick and then work on the rest while we are having the meeting." Minerva left the office before Albus could protest.

"If there is nothing else, I need to get back to grading." Severus said before he too quickly left the room, not giving Albus time to respond.

Albus was left to an empty office with portraits chatting away in the background about how the Dumbledore Mansion would finally get used again. He looked down at the letter he had been in the middle of writing to Molly. Crumpling it into a ball, he then tossed it into the fireplace.

"Really, Albus, there's no reason to throw a fit like a child. It's about time that you stepped up as an actual leader of this group of yours. And any GOOD leader would have used their place of residence to hold meetings from the get go. I'm glad that your minions are finally pushing you fully into the leadership role.' Phineus Black spoke from his portrait. Albus just glared up at the portrait before making his way to summon the Order for a meeting that evening.

-Nanananananaananananananananana-

AN: HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Happy (late) Hanukah! Merry (early) Christmas! Happy (late) Sol Invictus! Happy Kwanza! There are so many holidays this time of year that I have no hope in listing them all. I hope all of you are having a good holiday season. If it is not going so well I hope that this chapter at least gave you a short period of joy. I'm going to try and get the next one up in time for New Years.

Pansy's going to be in trouble once people find out that she was in charge….

Oh those poor guards… they will not be enjoying Voldemort's brand of hospitality. He also wasn't very happy with the Dementors Kissing his Death Eaters. I made up a few extra names on the "Kissed" list because I feel like quite a few of his followers would have been found and sentenced by this time.

Haha, Dumbledore will now need to use his place for meetings! Finally he has given up using other places. Well, Minerva did back him into a corner on this. We'll see how long he lets this go on.

If you are one of my many readers not familiar with the UK, google image a One-Up-One-Down house.

POLL RESULTS: Snape – NEUTRAL (I hope I helped show this result a little with this chapter)

Good: 3

Evil:

 **Neutral: 20**

Remember to mention some scenes you'd like to see.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. So are favs, kudos, follows, pms, and subscribes. Flames or negative reviews are fed to the plot bunnies to keep them multiplying (ie they help me with what I am missing). Please let me know if something doesn't make sense, it is how I know to add a scene with more info in it.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ translated below

 **Word** is written word

-Nanananananananananananananana-

Minerva looked up from her grading as an owl flew into her office with a package. Once the owl landed, she moved closer to remove the package. Looking at who sent it, she was filled with glee to see the sender was Papperus' Papyrus Parchment. Unwrapping the package, she opened the top to see stacks of parchment topped with 'Order of the Phoenix' with a border of phoenix feathers cascading down the side and bottom.

"Daisy." Minerva called out as she sat at her desk again, placing the package in front of her.

"Kitty Professor, ma'am, called for Daisy?" A house elf popped into the room.

"Yes, Daisy. Could you please take this owl to the Owlery. Also, did Albus contact the Ministry yesterday or today?" Minerva asked.

"No ma'am. Mr. Headmaster, sir, has not contacted the Ministry in any way."

"Thank you, Daisy." Minerva dismissed the elf. Taking one of the pieces of parchment from the top of the pile, Minerva dipped her quill into a pot of black ink.

 **Dear Madame Bones,**

 **It has come to the attention of the Order of the Phoenix that the Dark Lord, Voldemort, attacked Azkaban Prison yesterday. From the information we received, he killed the Dementors, prisoners, and guards while breaking out his Death Eaters.**

 **We are not sure if there is anything to be found at the Prison but you should be made aware of the situation, if you are not already.**

 **Order of the Phoenix**

* * *

 **BREAKING NEWS!**

 **Azkaban Prison has been attacked. Voldemort has made his next move in this war by attacking the Prison and freeing the Death Eaters that had yet to be Kissed.**

 **Earlier this autumn convicted Death Eaters: Avery, Crabbe, Goyle, Rockler, DuMont, McFlaggen, and Parkinson had received the Dementor's Kiss. The day that Voldemort attacked the prison Malfoy was set to receive the kiss as well, but Voldemort attacked before the kiss could be administrated.**

 **During the attack, any prisoner who was not a Death Eater was killed in their cell. Some of those prisoners were set to receive their re-trial from when they were imprisoned during Crouch Sr.'s time as Head of the DMLE. It was also discovered that all of the Dementors that were stationed at the prison were killed by Voldemort during the attack.**

 **Some of the human guards were killed during the attack. All of the others have disappeared, they are believed to be held prisoner by Voldemort.**

 **Aurors are searching for the missing guards now. A new prison has been set up in a secret location for all future convicted prisoners. Madame Bones has informed the Prophet that the Magical Law Enforcement will be working with Gringotts Bank to create new wards to both hide and protect the new prison.**

Hermione put down the special edition of the Prophet in shock. All around the Great Hall students were reading the news of the attack. Just following the newspaper were owls flying in with black envelops for the family members of those who died during this attack.

Students all over the hall were opening letters and many were being consoled by their friends. A tinkling sound rang out over the hall.

"Students. The Ministry and St. Mungo's are making Healers available, free of charge, for anyone who wished to talk to someone about what has happened. Just let a Professor know and head to the Hospital Wing where Madam Pomfrey and help you get to a Healer who is able to help you." Professor McGonagall stated from the staff table. "They will be available for the rest of the day today, all day tomorrow, and the morning after.

"If you miss any classes then you can pick up the information from the Professor afterwards without being docked points. However, in order to get the information without losing House points you must be checked in with Madam Pomfrey as well as having a note from the Healer you saw. Without both, House points will be lost for skipping class." Professor McGonagall sat back down, letting conversation start up again, and ignoring the glare being sent her way from the Headmaster.

* * *

Ryosuke watched in glee as Harry successfully managed to create and send a message globe for the first time. While it took all of the Hogwarts students some time to create and sustain them while sending a globe, Harry definitely took the longest. It took him so long that Ryosuke and Minato were starting to think that Harry would not be able to do it.

'Maybe it has to do with the link that Satoshi will be removing.' Ryosuke thought to himself as Harry's sunset red globe stopped in front of him, waiting to be accessed. He could see Harry waiting for him to access the message, with less strain than before. Bypassing the globe, Ryosuke hurried over and swept Harry up into a hug. Ryosuke spun him around a few times before lowering him to capture his lips in a kiss.

"Yes, yes. Everyone has been able to receive and send message globes. You can stop now _kouteishi_. We are all excited." Minato deadpanned as he added a slow clap. "Now that everyone has succeeded in their initial tasks we can move on to something that might help you with your war a bit more. What we have decided to try and teach you is an attacking technique used by the Joukriger. Only Joukriger and their mates have the ability to do this; so there is no point in trying to teach it to others. We are teaching it to you because, while we may not ever fight in your war, you are fighting in your war. Therefore we will teach you these techniques. Whether or not you can master them by the time you are to fight is another thing altogether."

"However, before those lessons start a new location will need to be found. These rooms are not large enough to learn the next technique. Nor are they secure enough. Not many people who are not connected to a Joukriger know about this technique." Suzaka stated as he entered the room. "In consequence, until a new room is found, your lessons are cancelled."

"What kind of room would be required to continue?" Blaise asked feeling disappointed.

"The room will require better security for the entrance, no portraits in the room, stronger foundation made of stone, and high vaulted ceilings to start." Suzaka listed off. The students looked down in disappointment.

"What about the Room of Requirement?" Fred asked. "George and I used that room often when experimenting with new products. Harry even led classes in there last year."

"The room can generate into many different options but the front isn't very secure. There's that portrait straight across from the entrance so everyone who enters will be viewed. Also that Ravenclaw proved it wasn't very secure when she told Umbridge about it." Harry said shrugging his shoulders.

"It is doubtful that there is a place in this castle that can house the lessons unless a room is converted, which will take time." Minato spoke up.

"What about under the castle?" Luna voiced, leaning against Naoya.

"Under the castle?" George asked.

"In the Chamber?" Harry asked at the same time, drawing looks of confusion from all of the non-Gryffindors.

"Can you still access it?" Neville asked, looking over at Harry.

"I can. It's a bit dirty but very secure." Harry stated.

"How secure?" Suzaka moved closer to Harry. "Who has access to it?"

"I'm the only one in the castle who can open the entrance. Very few know where the entrance is." Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"Are you talking about Salzar Slytherin's Chambers?" Blaise asked in wonderment. "I thought those were only rumors."

"I am. We're going to need to clean out the basilisk and various other bones, but the chambers are quite large, no portraits, made of stone, and only I can open them. Should fit your requirements."

"Basilisk? A live one?" Ryosuke looked at Harry in shock. "You have a basilisk under your school? Is your Headmaster insane?"

"Did have a basilisk under the school. It's dead now." Harry stated, trying to calm Ryosuke down.

"We have a dead basilisk under our school? How do you know it is dead?" Blaise asked.

"Oh"

"That"

"Would"

"Be"

"Because"

"Dear"

"Harry"

"Here"

"Killed"

"It"

"In"

"His"

"Second"

"Year." The twins spoke in their usual fashion, finishing at the same time with, "He saved our sister."

"Do you mean to tell us that Harry, in his Second Year, went up against a basilisk and won?" Minato asked amazed.

"Only with the help of Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, and the Sorting Hat." Harry tried to explain.

"That could explain the two substances in his blood that Satoshi found and finished analyzing." Suzaka murmured to himself before speaking up. "Harry, if you could show Ryosuke, Minato, and I this Chamber we shall see if it will work for the rest of the lessons."

"Hey now! What about the rest of us? It's our school history. We should get to see this chamber too!" George protested.

"It's my House's founder. If any one of us should see it, it should be a member of Slytherin's house." Blaise added his two knuts.

"We can all go down. It'll be quite dirty right now though." Harry placated.

"Dobby would be more than happy to help." Luna pipped up.

"That's a good idea, Luna." Harry smiled over at the Ravenclaw. "Dobby." Harry called out. With a small popping noise, Dobby appeared in the room before Harry.

"Oh, Mr. Harry Potter, sir. How's can Dobby be of service to the great Mr. Harry and Harry's friends?" Dobby squeaked out after darting in to hug Harry's legs.

"Hello, Dobby," Harry patted his head, "could you pop down and clean up the entry to the Chamber of Secrets? I'd like to take everyone down there to check it out."

"Of course, Mr. Harry, sir! Dobby can be doing that. Dobby will do so right away." Dobby popped out of the room before popping back in a moment later. "Can Dobby be taking Winky along with hims?"

"Sure, if you think she can help. But the location has to be kept secret, Dobby. No telling anyone where you two are going or what you are doing." Harry warned.

"Of course, Mr. Harry, sir. We can keeps it a secret. Harry's secret, it is." Dobby nodded, sending his big ears flapping, before popping out again. This time to go grab Winky to help.

"Let's give them about thirty minutes before I lead you down. They should be able to get the worst of it gone by then." Harry said as he looked around the room. "I don't think my invisibility cloak will be able to hide all of us on the way."

"That isn't an issue, _koi_. Joukriger are able to turn invisible. You just worry about the other students." Ryosuke wrapped an arm around Harry, kissing him on his cheek.

"You only really need to worry about Neville." Luna added. "An enlargement charm should work for you."

"That's right." Fred agreed.

"Our new product can turn someone invisible for a short period." George stated.

"It's still in testing phases so we can't give it to others yet."

"But we can take it." George finished.

"Sounds like the problem is solved." Minato said looking around at the students.

"But what about Blaise?" Harry asked looking over at the Slytherin.

"Please, Potter. Do you really think Slytherins don't have a way to get about undetected? Why do you think we are never docked points for being out after dark? Did you really think that we weren't out exploring like everyone else?" Blaise asked, shaking his head.

"I never really thought about it. I had also never run across any other students when I was exploring." Harry replied.

"That's because all of the other Houses are much better at doing that than Gryffindors are." Blaise boasted. "Who do you think tips off teachers that Gryffindor's are out exploring? A small note here, noises made in the halls there. Hufflepuffs tip off the most."

"I don't believe that." Harry made a skeptical face.

"It's true." Luna laughed. "Gryffindors are the worst at sneaking about at night and not getting caught."

"I believe Ravenclaw is currently in the lead in being able to follow Gryffindors without being caught at night. Hufflepuff was in the lead last week but then a few Slytherins tipped off a professor and got them caught along with the Gryffindor." Blaise chuckled.

"No way is this true!" Fred protested.

"How are we not a part of this?" George asked, clinging to Fred dramatically. "We could be making so much more money with the bets that can be going on!"

"Talk to McDougal." Blaise shrugged. "She's in charge of the score keeping."

"The Ravenclaw?" Fred asked.

"That's right." Luna nodded. "She's in charge until next year when she passes it off to the next person."

"As entertaining as this look into student life has been I have a meeting to go to. Kazuma and Naoya, you're with me. I suggest that we hold off on exploring this Chamber until your next lesson time. That will give your House elves more time to clean as well." Suzaka said as he made his way to the door, gesturing Naoya and Kazuma to follow. Both moved to flank him quickly after kissing their soulmates goodbye.

-Nananananaananananananaananananana-

AN: Happy NEW YEAR(S EVE)! I hope all of you have a wonderful 2016. Thank you for following and reading my story these last few months. I hope that you continue following along in the new year.

Hehehehe. I couldn't help but make the Gryffindors the worst at sneaking out. I feel many of them pride themselves on sneaking out and 'not getting caught' that I thought it'd be funny if the other Houses made a game out of 'who could follow the Gryffindor without them noticing'.

The next chapter picks up right after this last bit. I also realized that we haven't seen Ron and Hermione in a while so here is Hermione reading the news. I'll need to figure something out for Ron and Ginny. Maybe another chapter showing a couple of different perspectives. Would readers be interested in that?

 _Kouteishi_ – (皇帝子) crown prince

 _Koi_ – (恋) love, term of endearment

(btw to the Guest reviewer from the last time I used this term: 'koi' does not = fish. Koi is a type of fish. 'sakana' = fish. 'Koi' can also refer to (1) 濃いa deep, dark color, strong flavor/smell, thick or dense consistency; (2) 故意intention, purpose, or bad faith; (3) 鯉 a common carp; (4) 古意ancient ways, the feelings of the ancients; (5)請い request, entreaty; and many many more depending on the kanji used. The 'koi' I use is based off of 恋人 'koibito' the word for lover. Thank you for your concern. Since you did not sign in I could not reply directly to you so I hope you see this message.)

Remember to mention some scenes you'd like to see.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. So are favs, kudos, follows, pms, and subscribes. Flames or negative reviews are fed to the plot bunnies to keep them multiplying (ie they help me with what I am missing). Please let me know if something doesn't make sense, it is how I know to add a scene with more info in it.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ translated below

 **Word** is written word

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! Here is my present to all of you. (I'm like a Hobbit, giving out gifts on my birthday instead of getting them) :D

-Nanananananananananananananana-

"Ah, Suzaka, please come in." Albus called out after checking the window on the door to see who knocked. It was very handy having that window there, especially since it only activated as a window when someone was on the other side and didn't let them know it was there. It also, very handily, showed the name of the person at the door so Albus could call out their name even if he didn't know them.

"You sent a message asking to talk Mr. Dumbledore?" Suzaka asked as he entered the room, Kazuma and Naoya slipping in behind him invisible. Suzaka walked over and took a seat in the chair in front of Albus's desk.

"Yes, I did. I wanted to talk to you about how the Joukriger are doing here at the school. Have they all settled in alright? No issues?" Albus asked while setting out a pot of tea. "Tea?"

"No thank you," Suzaka said, waving aside the offer. "Everyone has settled in just fine. Patrols around the school have not encountered any problems besides the few days after Halloween that your Professors were also facing. The grounds have not been breached by anyone or thing not already accounted for. Your Gameskeeper, Hagrid, has been a great help in that. We also have made plans for Joukriger to go with a select group of students, those you indicated concern about earlier this year, back to their homes during the winter break coming up."

"I see. Have the students' guardians been made aware of this?" Albus asked as he steepled his fingers before him. 'Damn, a few are leaving the castle and I can't restrict where they go.'

"They were contacted by the students themselves. There will be no issues on that." Suzaka reassured him.

"Good. Good. Well with the holidays coming up and most students going home it might be a good idea to send some members to the main gathering spots. In order to continue protecting the students, of course." Albus stated.

"I'm sure you can find people to do that. It sounds like a good idea to keep the students who go home safe." Suzaka replied.

"The Ministry doesn't really have the number of people available to be able to pull that type of protection off." Albus hedged.

"In that case, it seems you should tell your students to be vigilant when leaving their homes. I'm sure an announcement tonight and the breakfast before they leave, as well as letters to their guardians about this will suffice as adequate warning." Suzaka said, getting more comfortable in his chair as Naoya started wandering around the room in exploration.

"Do the Joukriger that are not going home with students have plans during the break?" Albus asked, seeming to change direction with his topic.

"Some are going back to visit their own families." Suzaka stated, watching as Naoya started examining the portraits behind Albus. "Others will be renewing the protections here. Having so many gone for the break makes this a perfect time to check the protections that we added and reinforce them if necessary."

"Well, if there are Joukriger free I'm sure I can find some work for them to do." Albus smiled. 'I'll send them out with a few Order members to patrol Diagon Alley, at least, if not elsewhere as well.'

"That won't be necessary. They will be working in rotating shifts and those who are not working will be using that time to visit their families. This way, we have a full protection shift here at the school at all times." Suzaka smiled back as Naoya made his way back to Suzaka's side, opposite of Kazuma.

"Splendid." Albus's smiled grew strained. Suzaka noticed that Kazuma very quickly, but quietly, slapped a hand over his mouth to stifle the laugh that wanted to come out at Albus's obvious annoyance.

"If there is nothing else, Mr. Dumbledore, I need to get back to creating the rotation schedule. I should also let you get back to your mail. Good day." Suzaka rose and opened the office door, allowing Kazuma and Naoya to leave before him. Albus could only watch in shock as the General left his office without his permission.

* * *

Pansy stood in an alcove at the top of the stairs that lead down into the dungeons, watching the doors of the Great Hall. She was hidden from those coming up the stairs and hidden by shadows from those at the door. Like all other days of the week the creature that Zabini was seeing was waiting at the doors for Zabini to arrive from the Common Room.

Across the entry was also a group of young Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs; including the boy with the box of potioned chocolates. Pansy could see her fellow conspirators as well as the main gossipers of each house staggered around the Entry Hall, acting as if it was a normal day.

'Come now boy. I got everything set up for you. Take the chocolates to the creature and get him to eat one. Zabini should be here any minute.' Pansy thought, glaring at the Hufflepuff victim. 'I need to get Zabini away from Draco even more now with mother dead. I need to insure that we will marry. Zabini cannot be allowed to continue his influence on Draco!'

Finally the Hufflepuff seemed to gather his courage and moved away from his group. Watching as he made his way across the hall, Pansy shifted a little closer to the opening to listen better to what was about to happen. She quickly checked that all of the players were in their places.

"Um, Kazuma." The Hufflepuff started. "I noticed that you liked this type of chocolates. I was hoping that you will accept these and enjoy them." The Hufflepuff blushed as he held out the box to the creature.

"Thank you. They are a favorite of mine." The creature reached out and took the box. Pansy looked on in glee as it opened the box. "Would you like one as well, since you are giving them to me?"

"I just want you to enjoy them and think of me as you eat them." The Hufflepuff stammered out. The creature smiled kindly and popped a chocolate into his mouth.

"These are really good." It said as it started to eat another.

"I'd be happy to take you to the shop during the next Hogsmeade weekend. We could have more chocolates there." The Hufflepuff offered.

"I'd like that." Pansy felt a smile spread across her face as the creature leaned down to press a kiss to the Hufflepuff's cheek. The creature stayed there long enough for the gossips to spread out. The little Hufflepuff was also turning bright red, just more ammunition. Not where she really wanted for her plans, but she would take what she could get. 'The gossipers can easily spin this into a snogging session with the right words used.'

* * *

Antoine hurried back from Potions and entered the Slytherin Common Room looking around for Blaise. Not seeing him at first glance, Antoine made his way over to the couches. Sitting down, he positioned himself to see both the entry portrait as well as the stairs to the boys' dorm.

A minute later Blaise entered the room and headed up to his dorm. Settling in to wait a bit longer, Antoine picked up a discarded potions book from the coffee table to his right. Flipping through the book, he glanced up every few seconds to watch for Blaise.

"Blaise!" Antoine called out seeing his fellow Slytherin come down the stairs from the dorms.

"Antoine. How are you? 7th Year treating you well?" Blaise asked as he moved over to where the 7th Year was sitting. He perched himself on the arm of the couch across from Antoine, "still with Kyle from Ravenclaw?"

"Things are going well. No, Kyle and I didn't last long without you gluing us together. Although I'm sure he wouldn't say no to a one-night hook-up if you are looking for some fun." Antoine said as he got up from his seat, moving closer to Blaise. "Walk to lunch with me?"

"Sure." Blaise got up and followed the 7th Year out of the Common Room. "It's too bad that you two didn't last longer. You looked very nice together. Your tan and his paleness." He easily skipped over the idea of another three-some with them.

"We may have looked good together, better with your dark in between, but something was missing in personality and conversation. Too many differences there. For a Ravenclaw, he didn't have much to add to conversations without you."

"Have you gotten together with anyone else then?" Blaise looked over at Antoine as they transversed the dungeon maze.

"On and off," Antoine shrugged. Glancing at his watch, he slowed his steps a little. "Currently enjoying a loose friends-with-benefits situation. Always room for more though." Antoine sent a look over to Blaise.

"I'm quite happy with the relationship I am in now." Blaise sent a smirk back as the two started to climb the stairs to the main hall.

"Well, if you ever get bored or done with that, just let me know." Antoine winked at Blaise as they reached the middle of the stairs. "I'm sure I can make your night, again."

Before Blaise could respond, a Ravenclaw saw them coming up the stairs and called down to Antoine.

"Hey, Antoine! You know that Joukriger that has been sitting at your table for weeks now? He's snogging a Hufflepuff at the Great Hall doors. Guess he won't be sitting with you snakes anymore." The Ravenclaw said with a laugh. "He'll be moving to the 'Puffs now."

"No way!" Antoine called back as he and Blaise made it to the top in time to see Kazuma pull away from the blushing Hufflepuff.

"Kazuma?" Blaise whispered with furrowed brows.

"Oh, Merlin. Blaise, is he who you were talking about being in a relationship with? I know you've been sitting with him often." Antoine said, glancing at Blaise. Seeing the teen still not really paying attention to him, Antoine shared a smirk with the Ravenclaw 7th Year. So far Parkinson's plan was going well. Now he just needed to get him away from the Hall so that the gossips could get to work on expanding the story out further without Blaise questioning what is added or going up to the creature to ask directly.

"Yah." Blaise said distractedly.

"Let's go to the Kitchen's instead today. No need to stick around here." Antoine put an arm around Blaise and started to lead him back down the stairs, sending a wink to the Ravenclaw who stayed at the top as they walked away. Patting his robe pocket, Antoine made sure that he still had the potion to add to Blaise's drink in the kitchen. "I'm sure that the House Elves would be happy to make you some hot chocolate to feel better."

-Nananananaananananananananananana-

AN: So we finally have the grand climax of Pany's plan! Next chapter will include some to all of the conclusion of reactions. We also have Dumbledore trying to get the Joukriger to do more in the war (later). Didn't really work well for him, did it? Hehe

In case it wasn't clear, the part with Blaise and Antoine starts at the same time as Pansy's part.

Sorry it's a little shorter than normal. I'm almost done travelling and should be able to get back to a normal-ish schedule soon.

Remember to mention some scenes you'd like to see.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. So are favs, kudos, follows, pms, and subscribes. Flames or negative reviews are fed to the plot bunnies to keep them multiplying (ie they help me with what I am missing). Please let me know if something doesn't make sense, it is how I know to add a scene with more info in it.


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ translated below

 **Word** is written word

"*…*" = Parseltounge

-Nanananananananananananananana-

"Kazuma!" Blaise yelled out in anger as he burst into the Joukriger rooms. It was very helpful that the bonded students were given the password to the rooms a while ago and that it was never changed. It made entering their rooms whenever needed easy. "Kazuma, where are you? Get out here right now and explain yourself!"

" _Aibou_? What's wrong?" Kazuma entered the common room at Blaise's yell.

"Care to explain what you were doing just before lunch today?" Blaise marched up to Kazuma, ignoring everyone else in the room.

"I was waiting for you. You never showed." Kazuma reached out to touch Blaise, only to have him pull away. Kazuma's eyes shifted to black when Blaise pulled away.

"Oh, I showed alright. I was there in time to see you greet your new boytoy!" Blaise fumed. "So much for soul mates."

"Boytoy? What are you talking about _Aibou_?" Kazuma stepped back in confusion.

"What else would you call that 5th Year Hufflepuff? Did you tell him he was your soulmate too before you kissed him?"

"What?"

"Don't bother denying it! I saw you. In fact, much of the school saw you!" Blaise yelled out, drawing startled glances from the other Joukriger in the room. Shoko set down the plant he was growing and slipped out to find Minato or Suzaka.

"That child that gave me chocolates? I was thanking him. All I did was give him a peck on the cheek. Why is that such an issue?" Kazuma reached out again. "You are my one and only soulmate. I don't want anyone else. I will never truly want anyone else."

Blaise stared at Kazuma, pulling in as much air as he could after his yelling.

"How can I believe you? Everyone in the school is talking about how you were snogging a Hufflepuff. Neither of us have hidden our sexual pasts or wants. It's not like we didn't have our adventures. How can I know that I was not just another adventure for you? We agreed to only be with each other." Blaise pleaded. "I want to believe you. Antoine said you can never trust creatures, but I want to believe you!"

"Blaise, Kazuma. Is something wrong? Are you feeling alright Blaise? You are acting overly emotional and seem feverish." Minato hurried into the rooms and stepped up to the both of them. "Shall we call a healer?"

"I think that is for the best," Shoko muttered from Minato's side, looking over Kazuma. "Kazuma looks a little feverish as well."

"Who is this Antoine and why would he say you can't trust magical creatures?" Kazuma stepped forward, closer to Blaise, ignoring Minato's and Shoko's presence at his side.

"I think I'll go call Satoshi," Minato said. "Naoya, Shoko, keep these two apart and try to calm them down until I get back."

"Yes, sir. Come one Blaise, let's go over here. Maybe you can explain to me what happened." Naoya stepped up and pulled Blaise way to the other side of the common room.

"Kazuma, just go back to your room for now. When the healer gets here we'll figure out what is going on." Shoko pulled at Kazuma and gently led him back into their shared rooms, out of Blaise's sight.

Thirty minutes later Satoshi showed up with Minato. After checking on both Kazuma and Blaise separately, it was discovered that both had been dosed with different potions but around the same time. One to make Kazuma affectionate to another, one it seemed he was able to fight off for the most part; leading to nothing more than a kiss on the cheek. The other seemed to make Blaise overly emotional and slightly distrustful, which was working rather well.

"We'll need to flush their systems to get rid of the potions. Shoko, do you have these plants already created?" Satoshi handed a list of ingredients to Shoko who nodded his head.

"I do. I'll go grab what you need," Shoko took the list over to the far side of the rooms where a miniature garden area was set up and being maintained by those with earth powers. Together with another Joukriger, Shoko gathered the ingredient amounts needed, taking care to take from multiple plants to keep them growing strong. Quickly the two brought them over to Satoshi who set up a potions station.

"Make both of them drink this. It will purge all potions from their systems. If Blaise is taking potions for anything he will need to take those again afterwards. Once the potions are completely out they can discuss this situation again with clear heads. From what little I have been able to learn right now, it seems like someone is trying to mess with their bond. I will need to check that afterwards." Satoshi said as he finished mixing a potion mixture together. "It should only take about ten minutes. I've added a calming agent to this as well that should help clear their heads for them to talk peacefully."

Sure enough, ten minutes later when Satoshi looked over at them, Blaise and Kazuma were quietly talking about what happened earlier. Looking at the situation with calmer minds it was easy for them to see that it was all a set up. Who was in charge of the situation, they did not know, but they did know two or three participants. Whether the Hufflepuff was aware of the set up or not was also up for debate. With a little bit of a search, they decided, it would not take long to figure out what the whole plan was and who was behind it. When Satoshi checked their soul bond, he was pleased to see that it was not too damaged. Spending time together would repair the small frays easily.

"I suggest, Minato, that you have Suzaka call an emergency meeting so that this situation can be addressed and protected against in the future." Satoshi said to Minato as he got ready to go. "I will also inform his Highness of the situation."

"Yes sir." Minato nodded in agreement as Satoshi left.

* * *

Suzaka watched as the final Joukriger entered their rooms and took a seat at a table full of maps of Hogwarts. With a nod to Minato, both of them raised silence wards and locks around the room.

"This is an emergency meeting. All of you have been called in to be informed of a situation that happened and what our next steps will be." Minato started, he looked around the room making sure that everyone was paying attention. "A soul bond was attacked earlier today. At this time we don't know who was involved with the attack and who other victims were. It is currently believed to be the work of more than one person." A murmur broke out across the room as guards turned to each other seeing if anyone had more information.

" _Oji-sama_ , who was attacked and are they alright?" Ryosuke asked as he stood, trying to keep his flames under control. To have one of his people attacked in a school full of children, who shouldn't have been able to do anything, angered him. The only ones strong enough to attack at Joukriger in the school would have been one of the adult wizards. "Was it the Headmaster? He has been pushing for more from us for a few months now. I wouldn't put it past his manipulations. "

" _Damare_! This is not a time for conjecture." Suzaka barely raised his voice, but it carried over the room and everyone fell silent. "Kazuma was slipped a potion earlier that caused him to act affectionate to another. At the same time Blaise, his _sukidoushi_ , was slipped a different potion causing him to be emotional and distrustful. Blaise saw and heard about the affection Kazuma showed another, causing damage to their bond." Suzaka explained and held a sigh of frustration as more of the younger Joukriger there also struggled to keep their elements back. "Control yourselves! You are not teenagers anymore and should be able to contain yourselves better."

Everyone, contrite at being scolded by a general, brought their elements back under control.

"Healer Satoshi has already been by to see Kazuma and Blaise. Both were given a potion to remove the problem and have started working to fix their bond. At this point we only know of two names involved in the situation. How involved both were is yet unknown. All of you will need to gather more information, turn whatever you learn in to your section leaders, and wait for further instruction. We need to know who was involved and how much, who planned this and why, and we need to be extra diligent that nothing else happens like this while we are here." Minato spoke up as the last wind finally died down. "Your section leaders have been handed what information we have so far. See them for further instruction."

"All of you will also need to keep an eye out for anything like this happening again. Dismissed. Ryosuke, come here." Suzaka stated. Ryosuke made his way over to his uncle.

" _Oji-sama_." Ryosuke murmured.

"I know you are young, but as _kouteishi_ you need to set a better example. You cannot lose control of your powers like that at every little thing that angers you. Many of those that let loose their powers just now were following your example." Suzaka chided softly.

"I'm sorry. I will do better in the future." Ryosuke bowed his head in apology. "But why can I not show anger when a friend is attached like this? The wizards here were warned against messing with a bond. It's frustrating that this happened."

"It is Ryosuke, but you cannot change what happened now. You must act better because you will someday be their king. You must be strong, and not let your emotions get the better of you. Your father would be disappointed in you to hear of this slip. Kazuma, the one who had the most right to lose control did not. As future king you should learn better control."

"Yes sir."

"Report to Minato and cool your head before you deal with any of the students." Suzaka dismissed him. Ryosuke took a deep breath before turning to face where Minato was speaking to others in his section. Moving over, Ryosuke did his best to catch up to what was already covered. He knew that Minato would go over it again with him later, but he wanted to learn what he could now. He would not disappoint his uncle again and would work on being a better leader for his people.

* * *

"So, Harry, where is this infamous Chamber of yours?" Koyo asked from his place just behind George as the large group casually walked down the hall.

"We'll stop just ahead so that we can go the rest of the way in secret." Harry called back as he led the group into an unused classroom. Once everyone was in the room, Harry pulled out his map and checked that no one was going to be coming by soon. "Ok, so the entrance to the chamber is just ahead in the Out-of-Order Girls Bathroom."

"The room with that ghost? Um, Moaning Myrtle?" Blaise asked from Kazuma's side. After talking things through the night before, both of them were staying as close together as they could. Neither of them wanted a repeat of the incident.

"She was the student killed about 50 years ago the last time the Chamber was opened by Tom Riddle." Luna calmly answered from her seat behind Naoya. She was running her fingers through his spiky black hair as if she had no care in the world nor was paying attention. Harry knew that these times was actually when she paid the most attention.

"That's right." Harry said looking at Luna questioningly. "Anyways, it's just ahead so I will go and open the entry door and everyone just needs to make their way in from there. Come in a few at a time."

"I'll go with you, _koi_." Ryosuke stated with a smile just before he went invisible. Harry checked the map once more, left his Invisibility Clock with the Twins and Neville, and made his way out of the room to the women's bathroom. Casually checking the maps as he got to the doorway, Harry made sure that no one was in the room.

"Myrtle, are you here?" Harry asked as he entered the bathroom.

"Has Harry come to join me finally?" Myrtle zoomed out of her stall in glee.

"Sorry Myrtle. I just wanted to let you know that I'm opening the Chamber for a few minutes to let a group in. I know you don't like being here when the door is open so I wanted to warn you." Harry made his way over to the sinks.

"Oh, thank you Harry. That's kind of you to remember. I'll go somewhere else for a few hours." Myrtle zipped back to her stall and through the u-bend to another location in the school.

"That was Myrtle? What did she mean by 'come to join me finally'?" Ryosuke whispered into Harry's ear as he turned visible again.

"She has had a crush on me since 2nd Year. To keep her from telling any teachers what Ron, Hermione, and I were up to I told her that if I died at the school I would stay here with her." Harry murmured, embarrassed.

"She is going to be very disappointed then. I have no intention of letting you die, or get close to dying, in this school." Ryosuke growled out before grabbing Harry and pulling him into a hug.

"I don't either." Harry spoke into Ryosuke's chest, letting the hug go on for a few more moments. It was nice to be held so protectively like this once and awhile.

"Now where is this door of yours?" Ryosuke asked as he reluctantly let Harry go.

"Over here." Harry led Ryosuke over to the sinks and searched for the one with the snake on the side. Once he found it, Harry leaned over and whispered, "*Open*". Harry stepped back as a grinding noise started. Within seconds the sinks had moved to create the hole in the floor leading to the Chamber. If he had been looking, Harry would have seen Ryosuke's eyes flash between brown and green before settling back on brown.

"Woah." Ryosuke muttered peering into the hole in the floor.

"Slide on down. Make sure to move out of the way once you reach the bottom, don't want to get hit by anyone else coming down." Harry patted Ryosuke on the back with a smile.

" _Eto…_ Do I just jump in?" Ryosuke asked skeptically.

"That's what it looks like _kouteishi_." Minato spoke up, becoming visible again just behind Ryosuke, making him jump in surprise.

"You first." Ryosuke narrowed his eyes at Minato.

"But, as _kouteishi_ , you should lead your people by example." Minato cheekily stated back.

"Fine, as _kouteishi_ I order you, the oldest in the room, to go first." Ryosuke said.

"We'll go!" Junpei and Koyo stated at the same time as they entered the room. Harry, glad that someone was going to go, nodded his head in joy and waved them on to the hole. All in the room watched as Junpei put his blue hair into a messy bun at the same time that Koyo jumped down the hole, shouting with glee.

"How long should I wait before going down?" Junpei looked over at Harry as he asked his question.

"You should be fine now." Harry responded as he looked down. With a nod of his head, Junpei disappeared down the hole. "Next?" Harry looked at Minato and Ryosuke.

"We'll go Harry." Luna spoke up as she and Naoya quietly entered the room.

"Alright Luna." Harry smiled at the Ravenclaw as Naoya lowered her down the hole a little before letting her slide down. If Ginny were here, Harry was sure that she would be squealing in joy at seeing Luna treated so nicely. As Naoya was starting to slide down, Shoko showed up with Neville.

"The Twins, Blaise, and Kazuma are on their way. Blaise and Kazuma got pulled into a conversation with Theodore two halls away." Neville stated to Harry as Shoko calmly listened to the instructions from Minato.

"Our turn Neville." Shoko called over, dropping into the hole before Neville. Minutes later the Twins finally arrived.

"What were you two up to?" Minato asked as they slinked into the room.

"Just setting a prank to go off while we are in the Chambers." Fred said.

"Stops people from looking for us for a bit." George added.

"Everyone knows we disappear after pranks."

"So we can be gone for quite a while." George finished.

"Well down the hole. Your better halfs are waiting." Ryosuke commented.

"Better halfs?" George asked scandalized.

"You must be mistaken, old boy."

"We are obviously the better halfs." The Twins finished in sync as they moved to the hole to slide down. "Be sure to remember that."

"Just the three of us and Blaise and Kazuma." Harry stated staring at the two who had yet to go down.

"Very well. I'll go down and make sure no one wanders off until you arrive." Minato said before sending a message globe out. "Also, this should help move those two along."

Sure enough, less than five minutes later the two entered the room.

"Thanks, I wasn't quite sure how to leave that conversation without tipping Theo off that something was going on. Although he is willing to help get some information for me, so it was useful to run into him there." Blaise stated as they came in. "So where is this entrance?"

"Down the hole." Ryosuke helpfully pointed out. "Slide on down." With a nod of their heads the two made their way over and down the hole to join the others.

"Ryosuke?" Harry asked as Ryosuke drew closer to him once everyone else was gone, eyes blazing green.

"When we are done with this, remind me to show you how much I love you speaking a different language." Ryosuke said as he grabbed Harry and hissed him hard before making his own way down the hole.

"Not the reaction I normally get." Harry said wide-eyed, panting a little at the kiss. With a deep breath, Harry made his way over to the slide. "*Close.*" As the last syllable passed his lips, Harry jumped down. Above him, he could hear the sinks sliding close.

-Nananaanananaanananananananananana-

AN: Sorry for this not coming out earlier. I had it finished middle of last week but then I got a review which made me reconsider a large section of this chapter. I took that section and removed it for later and replaced it with new content which is what took time. I needed to think of how to properly change, where to change without it seeming weird, and how to move forward. So sorry for the delay, sadly I'm not sure if I can get the next chapter up (more delay).

BTW, I was watching a Korean Drama while writing the first part. Please forgive the overly emotional Blaise… the drama was very influencing. And no, that's not the end of the Pansy plan drama. There is still the conclusion of what is to happen to Pansy. It's almost over, I promise, just the final outcome of messing with a soul bond. It will be finished during the Winter Break section of the story.

I hope everyone remembers Junpei, Koyo, Naoya, and Shoko. They haven't had much screen time recently. As part of #OCKiss16 week there is a fanart that includes Junpei on the AO3 page. The artist did a really good job of capturing his looks with as little info as I gave her. If you haven't seen it yet go check it out.

In case it is a little confusing: Suzaka and Suzaku are General (highest level rank), Minato is a guard for the Generals and chaperone of Ryosuke (making him rank just below the Generals), then Ryosuke (even if he is crown prince he still needs to work his way up in battle matters. Politically above Minato.). So he can command others to do things but if Minato or his uncles command something different he has to follow them. This is why Minato is Ryosuke's section leader. The other OC mates belong to different sections but can be commanded or moved around by Ryosuke, Minato, or the Uncles.

Ryosuke may seem a little OOC but he is 21 (did I ever mention that?). So no matter how mature he may sometimes be, his emotions can still get the better of him.

 _Aibou_ : (相棒) partner (term of endearment for this)

 _Oji-sama_ : (伯父さま) super polite for Uncle

 _Damare_ : (黙れ) be silent

 _Sukidoushi_ : (好き同氏) soul mate

 _Kouteishi_ : (皇帝子) crown prince

 _Koi_ : (恋) love

 _Eto_ : (えと) um, ah

Reviews are greatly appreciated. So are favs, kudos, follows, pms, and subscribes. Flames or negative reviews are fed to the plot bunnies to keep them multiplying (ie they help me with what I am missing). Please let me know if something doesn't make sense, it is how I know to add a scene with more info in it.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ translated below

 **Word** is written word

"*…*" = Parseltounge

-Nanananananananananananananana-

When Harry reached the bottom of the tunnel he was pleasantly surprised to find himself landing on soft pallets versus layers of animal bones from second year. 'Dobby must have put these here after getting rid of all of the bones.' He mused to himself as he checked to make sure everyone was still in the area.

"Much better looking than the last time you were here, huh Harry?" Neville asked.

"What do you mean?" Minato spoke up.

"Last time we landed here, the ground was covered in a few layers of animal bones." Harry calmly replied. "Dobby must have cleaned them up when he cleaned this area. I wonder what else he cleaned."

"Disgusting." Blaise sneered from his place near a wall where he was leaning against Kazuma. Harry just rolled his eyes and pushed himself up.

"Now that we are all here, where to next? This can't be the whole thing right?" Koyo asked as Harry stood up. Koyo glanced around the enclosed dark space they were in. A few fairy lights were spread around, showing the dark tunnel walls.

"If you will all follow me, we'll head towards the main chamber." Harry walked across the room and stood in front of the first passage doorway. "*Open,*" he commanded.

Everyone watched in shock as the snake motif started to move, slithering away into the walls, making an opening in the middle large enough for three people side-by-side to walk through.

"Wicked," Fred muttered.

"Ronnikins saw this as a Second Year and didn't faint?" George added as he started to follow Harry through the opening.

"He's more ballsy than we thought, huh Gred."

"Sure is, Forge."

"They grow up so quickly!" Fred stated with pride as George started fake crying into his shoulder.

"Gryffindors." Blaise scoffed as he pushed passed the twins.

"Let's keep moving. I'm sure Harry has a lot to show us." Shoko stated as he and Neville also passed by the twins.

"Was there a cave in here?" Koyo asked lightly touching one of the walls. Surprised at the question, Harry looked around.

"Yah. This was about the spot we were in when Lockhart tried to use Ron's wand to Obliviate us. Ron's wand at the time had been broken twice so spells rarely came out correctly or in the direction the wand is pointed in." Harry explained.

"I remember that! Draco laughed for days about that Quidditch practice. It took Theo and I ignoring him for a whole week for him to stop." Blaise chuckled in remembrance. Harry started pointing out where all of them were located at the time four years ago.

"The spell backfired on Lockhart, making him loose his memories, and caused a cave-in. While I went ahead, Ron started to work on making a hole large enough for Ginny and I to fit through once I found her." Harry finished.

"How did you know?" Neville asked turning to face Koyo who had a hand on the wall.

"I can feel it in the rocks. Once George gets better at a few things he might pick up that ability too." Koyo explained. "My element connection lets me see what has happened when I concentrate."

"Wicked" George and Fred said with a grin.

"Let's go, there's another door just ahead." Harry waved everyone forward, further down the tunnel.

"So what shall we find behind door number 3?" Kazuma asked as everyone moved further down the hall.

"The main chamber." Junpei suggested.

"Nah, too simple." Naoya stated. "I bet it's just another hallway, maybe with a branch off of it."

"The basilisk." Blaise casually commented.

"There's no way that is true. Harry mentioned he fought the snake in the main chamber." Neville piped up.

"In that case, it just leads to Junpei being right." Fred pointed out.

"Wait a minute, back up a second. Neville, how do you know Harry fought the snake in the main chamber?" Ryosuke asked as he came to a stop just behind Harry.

"All the boys in our year in Gryffindor know what Harry and Ron went through down here." Neville replied with a shrug. "Ron started telling us one night and then Harry finally added his two knuts when Ron started making things up. Hermione convinced him to speak up once she got tired of Harry mumbling the corrections quietly."

"Ginny told me about that. It's not often you see Hermione yell about something like that. She really shocked a lot of the Gryffindors." Luna added.

"Are you done randomly guessing? Can I open the door now?" Harry asked amused, he knew that the shed snake skin was on the other side if Dobby didn't clean it up. Seeing Ryosuke's excited face directly behind him, Harry looked forward again with a light blush. "*Open,*" he muttered, jumping a little as Ryosuke's arms encircled his waist.

"Best _koi_ ever!" Harry heard whispered in his ear as the snakes started sliding out of the way. Harry's blushed deepened as he became aware of how excited Ryosuke really was at his back.

"Not now!" Harry hissed back, batting Ryosuke away.

"Harry, what is that?" Minato asked in shock, pointing down the tunnel.

* * *

"So this is what the Dumbledore Family Mansion looks like." Sirius mused to Remus and Minerva as they gathered in the receiving room. There wasn't much to look at other than the large stone fireplace. The walls were an old fashioned in an off white color with dark crown molding.

"I had to send some of Hogwarts' elves over to clean it up. They had their work cut out for them considering Albus has let it sit vacant for a few decades." Minerva said as the three of them made their way out of the room. The hall they found themselves in was off white as well, a few landscape portraits dotted either side of the hall as they went down. "Now where can we find the main room where the meeting is?"

"There is sure to be a portrait we can ask around here somewhere." Remus stated taking a closer look at the landscapes hoping to spot someone inside to ask. At the end of the hall they finally found one.

"Excuse us, could you point the way towards the main room? We are here for a meeting. Albus should have informed all of the portraits. There are more coming." Minerva stepped up to the female portrait.

"The main room? You're part of this Order thing Albus mentioned? Take your first left, up the stairs on the right, enter the door three down the hall on the right, continue to the main stair case, go down to the main floor and it will be the room on the right." The woman responded.

"Thank you, mam." Minerva nodded her head in thanks before leading the men. It took the three of them ten more minutes to finally make their way to the meeting room.

"Thank Merlin you said to come early. This is ridiculous! There must be a faster way to attend these meetings." Sirius grumbled.

"Sirius." Remus nudged him as he noticed Albus sitting at the head of the table placed in the room. Grabbing a seat in middle of the table the two men sat down. Minerva walked up and took a seat closer to Albus. Twenty-five minutes later the whole Order finally arrived and grabbed seats.

"Thank you all for showing up for today's meeting." Albus started the meeting. "We have a few things to cover. Please settle down."

Sirius and Remus sat back in their seat.

"This will be interesting, haven't had a meeting in a month. Let's see how he plays this out." Sirius muttered quietly to Remus as Albus started listing the things they were to go over.

"Now, now Sirius, don't mock the old man. With so many things going on, we should be happy that he is gracing us with a meeting so quickly." Remus sarcastically muttered back.

"Hush now both of you." Molly leaned against Remus to make sure that Sirius heard her as well.

"Alright, Molly." Remus smiled over at her as Sirius nodded in agreement. "We'll keep our comments to later."

"As many of you may know the end of term is coming up soon and many students will be returning home. This makes a good opportunity for Voldemort to strike. Alastor is making up a rotation plan for Order members to guard various important locations. Diagon Ally, the Ministry, and Gringotts should have a 24/7 watch during this break. You never know when Voldemort might strike. Hogsmeade will have a watch on certain days only. At the end of the meeting today, please report to Alastor to receive your watch times and locations." Albus commanded from his seat at the head of the table.

"What about those creatures you have at the school, Albus. Will they be joining us in these watches?" Hestia Jones asked.

"The Joukriger will be busy at the school. Some of them have informed me that they will be going with a few select students to their homes, but most of them will be at the school working on the school's defenses." Albus calmly replied. "Their job is at the school and we cannot ask them to do more."

"More like he asked and they refused." Sirius quietly said to Remus, who couldn't help but chuckle.

"Gentlemen," Arthur softly chided them. "You can discuss this later."

"Sorry, Arthur." Both quietly muttered turning back to listen to Albus.

-Nananaanananaanananananananananana-

AN: The two events in this chapter are happening at the same time. Sorry it is on the shorter side.

I changed a few things about the chamber and added a few extra doors. Next chapter, they will reach the main chamber! Promise. Also, I'm a little too lazy to write out a full Order meeting... I just wanted to give a short idea of the start of one, as well as showing a little of the Dumbledore Mansion since some reviewers asked about it. Not like they had much to cover in the first place….

 _Koi_ : (恋) love

GREAT NEWS and not so great news! I have accepted a job offer! Yay! 8 months of job searching has paid off! This means however, that updates will be slower. Once I am settled in (need to move for job) and understand my average day, I will work out what the new update schedule will be and let you know. However, for the next 3-4 weeks updates will not be scheduled and will come when I get the chance.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. So are favs, kudos, follows, pms, and subscribes. Flames or negative reviews are fed to the plot bunnies to keep them multiplying (ie they help me with what I am missing). Please let me know if something doesn't make sense, it is how I know to add a scene with more info in it.


	28. Elusive Chapter 28

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ translated below

 **Word** is written word

"*…*" = Parseltounge

Before the chapter begins I just want to thank everyone for being so patient with me in getting this chapter out. Please enjoy.

-Nanananananananananananananana-

"That would be a pelle et basiliscum." Luna calmly replied from the back of the group.

"Not exactly sure what Luna just said; but that would be the shed skin of a basilisk." Harry smugly answered. Everyone stared in shock at the giant snake skin. From where they were standing in the doorway they could easily see the giant head, with smoky lenses still attached, leading into the body that wound it's way into the darkness.

"That is what I said Harry. Pelle et basiliscum is Latin for skin of a basilisk."

" _Koi_ , is that what you fought?" Ryosuke asked in awe of the shedded skin, slowly moving closer.

"Hmm? Oh, this was here when I first came through here a few years ago. I think there's a spell on it to keep it in tact." Harry walked up to the skin without any worry and knocked on it gently. "Yep, feels like stone. I bet Voldemort froze this over 50 years ago when he first came through. It's not as long as the basilisk I fought. One more door to go through." Harry shrugged before continuing on towards the last door. Once he reached the last barrier, Harry turned around and watched everyone make their way past. A few would stop every few feet and gaze in awe at the petrified skin; while some would hurry past, ignoring it as much as possible. Luna, alone, calmly walked past while running one hand along the skin whenever it was within reach.

"This isn't even how big the thing I fought was." Harry mumbled and shook his head in amusement as the last person, Koyo, finally finished gawking at the shed skin. "Everyone ready to move on to the last room now?"

"Harry," Kazuma started, "how did you fight off, and survive, something bigger than this?"

"What do you mean, 'something bigger than this'? Kazuma, a twelve year old couldn't fight this normally! Sure, it's a rumor that Harry gets in and out of ridiculous things every year. But no twelve year old could live after fighting a snake larger than this. I doubt that any of our current professors could. Lockheart for sure wouldn't have been able to." Blaise shook his head, looking back at the skin lying behind him. The skin wound around in the shadows making it difficult to get a good read on the length. However, it was clearly over 20 feet long.

"Not even a parslemouth?" Kazuma raised his eyebrow at his mate.

"According to some rumors Voldemort was also here, meaning he likely had the upper hand in parsle control." Blaise crossed his arms stubbornly. No way a Gryffindork would be able to live after meeting such a deadly snake, they were too rash in their decision making to be able to strategize that kind of fight.

"If you are interested in knowing, Fawkes played a big part in it." Harry calmly added before he got the last door to open.

"Who's Fawkes?" Junpei asked from his spot next to Fred and Koyo. Junpei ran a hand through his blue hair.

"That's our Headmaster's phoenix." George spoke up before Harry could. "He's great at giving us the stink eye paired with laughter whenever we are summoned to the Headmaster's office after a prank."

"Laughter?" Koyo queried.

"Haha, yah. Each time we leave Dumbledore's office after getting busted on a prank Fawkes sends out a high pitched note that leaves us feeling better and more determined not to get caught the next time, seems like laughter to us." Fred grinned while slipping an arm around Junpei, taking care not to get tangled in the long hair.

"So it was you and a phoenix against a basilisk?" Minato asked in concern turning away from the fossilized skin.

"As well as the sorting hat and the sword of Gryffindor." Harry said as the final door finished sliding away. He swept his arm out through the opening, grabbing everyone's attention. "Welcome to the main chamber."

"What is that smell?" Fred and George spoke in tandem. Before anyone could really taken in their first view of the main chamber, they were all hit by the overwhelming smell of decay.

"My guess the dead snake lying in the water there." Blaise snarled as everyone covered their noses, trying to block the smell.

"This is completely non-salvageable." Naoya called out as he made his way closer. "Any usable part has decayed too far here in the chamber while partly submerged in the water."

"Can anyone do anything about this smell before we all move closer?" Neville asked from his position by the door, partially hidden behind Shoko, as if the herbologist could protect him from the smell by his presence alone.

"Bubble head charms should fix the issue until we can clear out the cause." Luna spoke up as she started to place the charm on those closest to her. Others followed her example and soon everyone found themselves breathing easier.

" _Tensai dana."_ Junpei muttered to Koyo and Ryosuke.

" _Iie, kanojo ga reibunkurou da. Zenin ga sono gurai atama ga ii."_ Ryosuke responded before he moved closer to where Harry had wandered off to. " _Koi_ , what are you doing?"

"I was just looking at the statue. It seemed so much bigger before." He responded, gazing fixed up at Salazar face. "I thrust the sword up through the head from the tip of this statue."

"From the top?"

"Yah, I climbed up the face of it as Fawkes was attacking the basilisk. Once I got to the top it turned and lunged at me. I thrust the sword out and it went through the roof of its mouth, killing it." Harry responded, leaning back against Ryosuke.

"Hey lovebirds," Blaise yelled out, "Shoko believes he has a solution to our smell problem."

"With the level of decay here, I can breakdown the basilisk into earth. That won't change the water that has been poisoned nor the stone under the dead creature." Shoko spoke up, hands held out over the head glowing faintly green as his powers poked and prodded the basilisk. Minato joined him and held his own midnight blue glowing hands over the water.

"The water is very poisonous. It would take a few rounds of cleansing before it normalized out. At this point it would poison anything that had prolonged contact with it. So don't touch the water." The last point was clearly aimed at Kazuma who had stepped closer to the water in interest.

"Before we do anything to the chamber, is it something we could use for lessons? If it's not suitable there's no point in fixing it up." Harry pointed out. Shoko and Minato both pulled their powers back in and began to look around the chamber with the other Joukriger. Thirty minutes later they seemed to come to a consensus.

"If we get rid of the basilisk and cleanse this place, not just the standing water, this would fit our needs. Plenty of space for each of you to practice accessing your powers without getting into each other's way. The chamber is still structurally sound despite the broken statues everywhere." Minato reported.

"How long will it take to cleanse the area?" Fred asked.

"The basilisk will take me at least an hour to remove safely." Shoko supplied looking back along the length of the creature.

"The water will take another 3 hours on top of that." Minato added.

"What about the fossil out there?" George asked looking back down the tunnel they came through.

"I might be able to shift that around and bring it in here as a decoration piece. Or just destroy it." Koyo spoke as he hugged George from behind. "Moving it in here wouldn't take up much time. Since it is stone I can manipulate it through the entry."

"In any case, we won't be able to do any of that in this room today. We've already been gone too long. Any longer and people will start to ask questions we can't answer." Blaise stated while looking at the glowing clock in the air before him.

"Blaise is right. We'll have to come back at a different time to deal with those things. If we can get more water and plant users they maybe able to speed up the process as well. Let's head back up and I'll talk it over with Suzaki and Suzaku." Ryosuke spoke before any of the students could protest.

With one last look around the infamous chamber, the group shuffled out back to the entrance. Everyone was thankful to not find Moaning Myrtle hanging around the bathroom when they emerged. Harry took one last look down the tunnel before closing the entrance behind him.

Author's Note:

So sorry lovely readers! I'm sorry to keep you waiting this long after such a cliffhanger! That was not my intention. I didn't expect my move cross country or starting my new job would be so energy draining. I am having a lot of fun but work definitely is not your stereotypical 9-5. Many weeks I'll have 1 or 2 after hour client and networking events that I need to go to as a part of my job which can be anywhere from 1 to 4 hours long. I also got hit by a bit of writer's block during March and April which didn't help. That seems to have lessened so hopefully chapters will continue to flow. However, with work taking up so much of my time it will be hard for me to set up a schedule like I had for the first 6 months, or even guarantee a set schedule. So I will do my best to update as soon as I have a chapter complete and looked over for editing. Please continue to be patient and I hope you continue to enjoy this.

This chapter is smaller than usual since I feel bad about taking so long to get it to you. The second part that I had planned for this chapter will be the start of the next. So since that is already partially planned out hopefully I can get it to you sooner.

As a Ravenclaw I wouldn't be surprised if Luna knew and could speak Latin. It seems like something she would learn.

 _Koi_ = (恋) love

(To the review who don't think this can be used as a term of endearment. I have Japanese friends in Fukushima, Japan who use this with their spouses, so it may not be the norm but it isn't incorrect. Thanks for the concern.)

 _Tensai dana_ = (天才だな) Genius, isn't she.

 _Iie, kanojo ga reibunkurou da. Zenin ga sono gurai atama ga ii_ = (いいえ、彼女がレイブンクローだ。全員がそのぐらい頭がいい。) No, that girl is a Ravenclaw. They are all at that level. (If any of my Japanese readers have a better katakan for Ravenclaw please let me know. This one seemed closest to me.)


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ translated below

 **Word** is written word

"*…*" = Parseltounge

-Nanananananananananananananana-

"Really Theo, this is getting absurd. For the last 3 days she has been more clingy than she had been for the last week! I was grateful for the reprieve as she turned her attention to whatever she was going but now it's like she's trying to make up for lost time."

"Yes, she also seems to be preening more than usual. Daphne mentioned yesterday that Parkinson had been boasting about what her first orders of business as Lady Malfoy would be." Theo mused as he watched Draco pace the unused classroom. They had snuck into the room twenty minutes ago for this meeting and since the last spell was placed Draco had been pacing and complaining about Parkinson. Considering the way she had been acting this month, his worry and frustration was understandable. "Something's made her more full of herself than normal. With the way she's acting, how were you able to sneak away?"

"Just getting you the note to meet up here was a headache! If you hadn't noticed she's been clinging to me every second we aren't in class. I had to tell her I was meeting Severus about a potion idea he and I were creating just to get her to leave me alone." Draco ranted.

"It's a good thing she's terrible at Potions then. It's probably the only excuse you could have used and not have her follow." Theo spoke thoughtfully wondering what excuse Draco would have to use next time.

"Oh she followed alright. I had to go into Severus's rooms and stay for half an hour before she gave up on waiting before I could even come here." Draco said as he crossed his arms and stopped pacing. "Thankfully Severus wasn't in at the time. I so do not want to explain to him that I can't even handle Parkinson. Could you imagine what he would say?" Theo ignored the last question.

"Am I hearing correctly, gentlemen? Parkinson is making a bigger nuisance of herself and you don't like it?" Theo and Draco turned to the classroom door in surprise as they drew their wands.

"How did you get in here Weasley?" Theo asked before Draco could. "That door was warded and locked."

"Oh please, I have a curse breaker for a brother and 5 other brothers who don't understand locked door policies. Your wards and lock were a piece of cake once I heard your conversation topic. You really should have remembered a silence ward on top of your others." Ginny stated from her position leaning against the closed entryway. She ignored the wands pointed at her since the two weren't really in a stance that would allow of quick casting of spells, sure that she could move or put up a shield in time. Living with the Twins gave everyone better reaction times.

"Very well, you've explained how you are here. Now explain why you are here before I start cursing you for intruding on a conversation where you are unwanted." Draco gritted out, frustrated that in his and Theo's sneaking around they forgot to add a silence spell to the door. It wouldn't do for any part of their conversation to be overheard by a fellow Slytherin or other zealous follower.

"It's very interesting that you say Parkinson had been leaving you alone for a few weeks and then started clinging more to you. What's also interesting is, if your timing is right, then that matches up to the scene that happened in the great hall with Zabini's boyfriend and that Hufflepuff."

"What are you saying Weasley? That Parkinson had something to do with the rumor that Blaise's boyfriend was snogging a Hufflepuff?" Theo asked as he put his wand away. Weasley obviously wasn't there to fight. "That's rather Slytherin thinking for a Gryffindor, unless you think that all troubles in the school are caused by Slytherins."

"Please, I'm not a 1st Year version of my brother. No one house rules over the others in how much trouble they cause, just what type of trouble and how often they are caught." Ginny rolled her eyes at the older boy. "However, from what I've been able to gather about the Great Hall incident a few houses were involved, but definitely a Slytherin at the top. No other house would have a strategic planning and ruthlessness needed for the staging of the instance in question."

"Lots of big words and ideas for a Gryffindor." Theo muttered quietly. "Must be from hanging out with those Ravenclaw's all the time."

"Are you saying my Slytherin's are potentially involved in an incident that could cause many political issues and battles?" Draco questioned fuming at the idea that any Slytherin would be stupid enough to do so.

"Is the Ice Prince losing control of his people?" Ginny casually blinked her eyes knowing that it hid any devious thoughts flashing through her mind. She looked over at Theo's soft snort, as if he was trying to hide laughter, but quickly returned her attention to Draco.

She couldn't work on putting all of the pieces together without their help. Normally she would have turned to Luna or Hermione about this but what she heard when she passed the classroom made her think that these two Slytherins were likely to hold some of the puzzle pieces without knowing it.

"Look, I'm just looking to help the Joukriger solve this issue. One of them is dating Zabini, a rather good friend of yours if what I hear is true. Or at least as good of a friend as you Slytherins allow others to know about. I don't know enough about Zabini to make my helping out for him alone, but if some students are trying to cause issues with the Joukriger, it will not end well for those involved with them. That includes my brothers and friends. We were all warned at the beginning of the year not to mess with Joukriger bonds and mates."

"Why exactly should we help you, Weaslette?" Draco sneered.

"Because I have information and can pass along information for you so that it doesn't look like you're involved." Ginny shrugged.

"You think like a Slytherin." Theo mused looking the younger girl over. "I didn't think a Weasley had it in them to be Slytherin. What would your parents say?"

"You can't be possessed by a dark object for most of a school year and not learn how to be more sneaky or think more critically; especially if the possessor is You-Know-Who." Ginny replied.

"So that rumor is true. You were possessed by the Dark Lord and were the one to open the Chamber." Draco silently spoke in both fear and awe. The knowledge that it all happened because of his father was something he had kept quiet about whenever the topic came up in Slytherin.

"So, shall we pool our resources and find out why Parkinson is acting like she's queen of Slytherin again and who is behind the Great Hall incident? I'm sure that they are related." Theo and Draco looked at each other in silent communication for a few minutes.

"Three heads are better than two, even if one is a Gryffindork." Theo said finally breaking the silence. "Let's hear what information you have Weasley."

-NANANANANAANANANANANANANA-

Author's Note:

Long time no see lovely readers! Thank you so much for your patience and I do apologize in having such a lengthy absence in this story. RL has been crazy eventful since I last was able to post in May with lots of ups and downs. Thank you to everyone who checked in with me to see how things were going over the last few months. I can tell you that the next chapter will have 2 sections and should hopefully be longer. My goal is to get that chapter to you by the end of November, but no guarantee.

As I was writing this chapter Ginny kind of pushed her way in and possibly to being a side pairing (like Sirius/Remus and Ron/Hermione) option. So I'm throwing it up to Reader's Choice. I can't find notes anywhere saying I'm already planning her for someone so if you remember or read something different do let me know. I did have her as a pairing option for an OC, but can't see anything else. I'd like to stick with what was already planned where I can. In the meantime vote (like always 1 vote per review)!

Poll - Ginny Pairing (3 Choices)

No -

Draco -

Theodore -


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Self-beta'd

"…" = speaking

'…' = thoughts or quotes

 _Word_ translated below

 **Word** is written word

"*…*" = Parseltounge

 **NOTE:** For any readers NOT interested in sexual scenes please read the version of this chapter, you will not miss any plot related information. Otherwise enjoy the AO3 version.

-Nanananananananananananananana-

"Harry, there's a bit of time before the dinner hour and I'm sure that Minato will let us have some space to cuddle in my rooms," Ryosuke whispered, trailing a hand down Harry's arm, as everyone started splitting off after exiting the Chamber.

"What do you have in mind?" Harry looked over his shoulder to Ryosuke as his mate pressed up closer to him.

"Some cuddling in my rooms in front of the fire and some fun if you're interested. All I need to do is have a quick talk to Minato on our way back. I'd love to hear some more of your language talent." Ryosuke interlocked his fingers with Harry's as he pressed his front up against Harry's back, sure that Harry could feel his excitement and understand what he alluded to by 'fun'. He knew the message got across when Harry's breath exhaled shakily.

"I'll… uh… let the Twins know that I'll see everyone at dinner," Harry responded, taking a calming breath as he stepped away to stop the Twins before they disappeared around the corner. A quick glance around showed that Blaise, Neville, and Luna had already dispersed from the area.

It didn't take Harry long to pass the message on to the Twins, who were more than happy to pass the message on to Ron and Hermione for him. Harry had a sneaking suspicion that they knew what he would be getting up to with Ryosuke by the way they grinned at him before they left. It didn't help that when Junpei and Koyo joined them, both Fred and George said something that had all four snickering with glance back at him.

"Ready _Koi_?" Ryosuke asked, grabbing Harry's attention from watching the Twins and their mates disappear. "Minato's promised us until just before dinner."

"*Yes*" Harry responded cheekily.

"If you start that now we'll never make it to my rooms. Let's go." Ryosuke tugged Harry down the corridor with one last glance and wave over his shoulder to Minato.

"I hope I don't end up regretting this decision," Minato mumbled to himself as he turned to go down to the dungeons to start looking for more clues behind what happened with Kazuma.

* * *

"Alright, folks..."

"It's that time again."

"The old folks..."

"Want to know..."

"Who is going home..."

"For the break."

"I really wish you would both stop that." Ron sighed as he settled in front of the fire with his siblings.

"Why, Ronnikins!"

"Why would you…?"

"Suggest such a thing?" Fred and George grinned at each other at Ron's annoyed sigh. Ginny just rolled her eyes from her place on the two seater to Ron's left. The Twins stood in front of them both, backs to the fire, as if they were surveying their kingdom.

"Well I am planning on going home. Mum mentioned in her last letter that Bill and Charlie will both be there this year. No way am I missing a chance to see them," Ginny stated, crossing her arms as she leaned back.

"Yah, Hermione's going to France with her parent's again this year and Harry mentioned that he'd be staying with Remus; so there's no point in staying here." Ron shrugged. "What about you two? Are you planning to stay here with Junpei and Koyo?"

"Good question..."

"Ronnikins. They do..."

"Have permission..."

"From Ryosuke to..."

"Come, but..."

"You haven't mentioned them to Mum or Dad yet," Ginny interrupted with a grin.

"Exactly smarter minion." Fred and George said at the same time.

"So just tell them you're bringing home your boyfriends to introduce to the family. At most there will be a reshuffle of rooms because I doubt Mum would let the four of you share a room," Ron said.

"This would be a good time," Ginny mused. "You'd be able to introduce them to everyone at once."

"If we do..."

"Are you going to..."

"Finally tell everyone about..."

"Your boyfriend?"

"Who are you talking about? I'm not seeing anyone," Ginny stated.

"Aren't you still with that Ravenclaw?" Ron asked, following up on what the Twins started.

"Michael? No, we split months ago." Ginny shook her head, amused that her brothers weren't aware of the latest gossip. "How do you not know that he started dating Katie in Hufflepuff?"

"We weren't..."

"Talking about him."

"We were talking..."

"About someone a little..."

"More… green." Fred grinned as George crept closer to Ginny's chair.

"Green?" Ron asked confused.

"Who do you think I'm dating in Slytherin?" Ginny asked, looking at her brothers as if they were insane, which many times was not far off the mark in her opinion.

"You tell us."

"After all, it's not..."

"Every day you hear that..."

"Your sister is seen..."

"Coming out of a locked..."

"Classroom with two..."

"Known 6th year..."

"Slytherins."

Ginny couldn't help but burst out laughing when Fred finished. Both Twins looked put out at her laughter while Ron stared at her in shock, trying to make his mind come together and find another reason that his sister would be in a locked room with two Slytherins.

"Please tell me they were threatening you or something. Anything but you dating a Slytherin!" Ron moaned in despair.

"Really, Ron, get over it." Ginny rolled her eyes. "Not all Slytherins are evil. No they didn't threaten me. We were simply working on a project that is likely to take a few months and needed some secrecy. Who told you I was in a locked room with them?" Ginny finished her talk with a narrowed-eyed look at the Twins.

"Just a..."

"Little gossip mole."

"Can't reveal..."

"Who we get..."

"Our information from." The Twins grinned.

"Well if we're done here, I'll go write the letter to Mum about us three and your two mates coming home for the break. Don't worry, I won't mention you're mated, just boyfriends," Ginny stated getting up from her seat.

"Be sure to..."

"Mention your own..."

"Boyfriends!"

"Whatever," Ginny replied.

Ron continued to sit on the couch, staring at where Ginny had been, in shock, even minutes after the Twins left to bug Lee Jordan.

"Please, please, please let Ginny not be dating a Slytherin," Ron mumbled. Minutes later Ron seemed to come back to himself and looked around the common room. Not seeing any of his siblings he finally gave up and settled back into the couch with his head in his hands. "Please let that rumor be untrue…"

AN: Wow! The end of 2016 went much faster than I expected and not quite as I had thought it would. I had planned on having this up by the end of November but obviously that didn't happen. I ended up on 2 work trips and tried to transfer to a different office 3 time and have had no luck. One of my resolutions this year is to get more written on this story and Shadow's Ward. Feel free to send me comments or PMs to remind me to write, sometimes I need those little nudges.

I hope you all enjoyed that scene between Harry and Ryosuke. That is my holiday (Christmas, Hanukkah, Boxing Day, Kwanzaa, Solstice, whatever you happen to celebrate) present to all of you. I hope all of you have a great 2017 and enjoy the new year. 良いよお年を！

So for the poll last chapter, Theodore won by quite a bit but there were some really good arguments for the 'no' vote. Therefore, she will be paired with Theo BUT it won't necessarily be very obvious like those with Joukriger mates. Most of her focus will be on the planning against Pansy and being her sassy self.

Poll results:

Ginny Pairing

No - 4

Draco - 5

Theodore - 12

Both - 5 (not originally an option but many people mentioned it)

 _Koi_ = love (as you should all know by now)

 _Kuso_ = shit, fuck, generally a curse word with many meanings depending on the situation.


End file.
